A Friend in Need
by Rebelleader1011
Summary: When Kaitou KID gets attacked at one of his heists, it is up to our smallest sleuth to help him out, and maybe they can both learn a little more about themselves in the process. It is about time for Conan to help save the thief for once. Spoilers for mystery train arc, movies 8, 14, and 19.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello lovely readers! I apologize beforehand, I am new to this fandom, therefore I don't know if the characters are OOC or not. I hope not. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy. Reviews are appreciated.**

It was 8:55 at night at the museum. It was in a great spot; right on the river on the edge of town and a forest, and many people came during the day to see the many wonders inside while enjoying the scenery. It was usually a quiet and fun place that many people enjoyed. This however drastically changed as soon as closing time rolled around.

All was quiet, for the moment. The museum was dark and unassuming. A completely normal night, except that it wasn't.

The clock struck nine. Not ten seconds later a bellow echoed throughout the exhibits.

"KID!"

For tonight was a Kaitou Kid heist.

First the thief came sprinting through the halls, smug grin on his face as he leaned into the stride, clutching the prized jewel in his hand as his shoes clicked against the tiled floor. A second later a loud boom echoed throughout the museum and the thief spared a breathless chuckle as another shout came from behind him, from one Nakamori Keibu.

"KID I will get you for this."

KID just laughed joyously, not even sparing the inspector a second thought; he had no doubt that he had been caught in the tripwire oil slick and smoke bomb trap. It wouldn't hold him for long however, just slow him down, but that was the least of his worries; he had another problem at tonight's heist.

A second later a young boy came racing from where the thief had come from, short legs not deterring him in the slightest as he dashed after the thief. Usually, letting such a young person enter a thief's heist would have caused multiple lawsuits, but KID wasn't an ordinary thief, and Edogawa Conan wasn't an ordinary boy.

KID smiled fondly as he caught sight of his favorite critic as he slid around a corner, heading for the stairs to the roof. Of course he didn't get caught in the trap he set; he was foolish for thinking otherwise. No matter, he would lose him soon.

The thief whirled into a closet and waited. Sure enough he heard the light pitter patter of footsteps rush past his hiding place, followed closely by the military stamp of the rest of the taskforce. KID grinned as he waited. Three…two…one. He flung the door open and sprayed sleeping gas in the face of the last guard. KID was changed into his disguise before the body hit the floor. An extra second and the body was in the closet and KID had caught up to the taskforce. He had researched which would be the least fit out of all the officers and planned to catch him unawares. It was a seamless transition and no one even noticed.

KID counted as he heard the bang of the door to the roof and pushed the button for the dummy and hang glider to fly off the roof. He had already prepared the note that said he had stolen the gem and put it on the roof. KID grinned inwardly; it was all going according to plan.

* * *

Conan threw the door open to the roof just to see the thief leap into freefall off the roof. Conan skidded to a stop as the rest of the taskforce came spilling out of the doorway. Nakamori Keibu, as soon as he saw the thief gliding away, yelled in frustration.

"Wait KID!"

Nakamori noticed a small note on the roof right in front of him. He picked it up, reading it aloud.

"I have stolen the Reward of Faith Sapphire. Kaitou KID"

Nakamori gritted his teeth, trying to think of the next move to make. The thief was flying toward the river, if he got his men in police cars they could possibly catch up.

Conan glanced around, his sharp eyes picking up the slightest details. The moon of course was full, giving quite a bit of light to observe his surroundings. Then he saw a flag across the river blowing and smirked. Nakamori Keibu was about to order his men to chase after the dummy when Conan pulled at his leg.

"Ne ne, how do hang gliders work? Don't you need the opposite wind to fly them?"

Nakamori Keibu looked down at the small child in surprise. This boy had something disconcerting about him. It always scared him a little how calm, cool, and right the boy always was about the thief, when Nakamori was busy running in circles. Nakamori glanced around and felt the wind blowing with the phantom thief, which meant…

"A decoy."

Conan nodded in satisfaction at the Inspector's deduction as he walked over to the wall. The roof had a ledge surrounding it; however it wasn't high, maybe two feet in height at most. Conan took a deep breath as he looked over the side, down three stories to the river below. Did the thief jump, or repel down? After finding no marks indicating as such, Conan placed his hand under his chin, thinking deeply. He reviewed the entire chase sequence, trying to remember if anything caught his attention. Wait a minute; did he hear the thief open the door to the roof? It wasn't exactly quiet and if the thief had been rushing, then he would have definitely slammed it open. Did that mean…?

A feeling washed over him, something familiar and even if he knew it wasn't hostile didn't mean he didn't stiffen. Yep, KID was still here and was watching him intently. Conan jerked around, trying to find the eyes, however all eyes were currently on Nakamori who was giving out orders. Conan smirked again. Ah a challenge. _Just you wait Kaitou Kid. I will catch you_.

* * *

KID shuddered inwardly as he almost got caught staring at his rival. He literally had looked at him for two seconds and the kid had flipped out. The boy had instincts like an animal. Seriously, who else is that paranoid? Well considering the nature of the boy and his problems dealing with criminals, of course his instincts would be top notch.

So Conan had noticed, and knew he was here. KID didn't know whether to smile or groan inwardly as Conan had pointed out the fact to the inspector about hang gliders. In one hand it foiled his escape plan, however, of course he had noticed. His favorite critic did nothing to disappoint him, and it made it all the harder to escape, but what was life without a little challenge?

KID was already thinking three steps ahead, counting his inventory in his mind as he kept one eye on the inspector and his peripheral on the tantei. The bespectacled brat was wandering among the officers, inspecting them individually with his gaze that could pick apart crime scenes without any effort. _Poker face poker_ _face_ Kaito chanted as he felt the eyes multiple times. He had to get away fast before the kid decided to pull out his monster soccer balls.

* * *

Conan slowly picked his way through the taskforce, looking each officer up and down. He wished sometimes that the thief wasn't so good at disguises. He honestly couldn't tell the difference unless KID slipped up somewhere, which was rare. Conan blinked as he started looking at shoes. The officers all had shoes, and they had all been caught up in the oil trap, which meant the one without oil would be…darn it they all did. KID was usually too good to overlook such a detail. But he refused to believe he was wrong. KID was still here, somewhere. Suddenly an officer caught his eye. Something was off, but he couldn't tell what it was. Why was this one different? Was it KID?

Conan sauntered closer, eyes travelling slowly from the shoes all the way to the chest, then he saw it. He smirked to himself and turned away. There was a bulge, slight but there, over the man's heart. Normally it was inconspicuous, except that Conan knew for a fact that was usually the place a certain phantom thief kept his card gun. Conan decided to wait until Nakamori finished with his little powwow before getting KID's attention.

* * *

KID was getting bored. Nakamori had been talking for five minutes at least, trying to split the men into groups to search the museum again for him. The sooner he left Conan the better because he was pretty sure he had already figured out which one he was. Kid was about to turn away to go do something else when he saw it. It was a split second, would have second guessed yourself if you saw it, but it was there and it filled KID with tension and fear. It was a red dot, from a sniper scope, right on Nakamori's arm.

KID swallowed thickly. He thought Snake wouldn't come to this heist. He had been to the one before this one, and had almost hit the thief. It was a pure miracle he had gotten away in one piece. Why was he here now? Was it because it was another large gem? Crap, and why was he sighting down the sniper scope at Nakamori of all people? KID turned discreetly to look, trying to spy the source of the light. There, three buildings over, a glint of light from the scope. Kid turned back just in time to see the red dot appear again, this time on Nakamori's forehead.

All thoughts except three flew out of KID's mind as he took a step. The first was he couldn't let Aoko cry. She had already lost her mother, and the thought of her sobbing as she cradled her father's corpse made Kaito want to kill himself for causing that. The second was that Snake would not take another father figure from him. Nakamori Keibu had treated him like his own son, inviting him to dinner and taking care of him in the absence of his own father, not to mention being his longest critic. No he would not let it happen again. The third thought was that no one got hurt at a KID heist.

Another step and KID yelled, in his own voice, urgency making the warning harsh against the quiet night.

"Nakamori Keibu!"

All officers turned to look at him but he didn't care. His only focus was to be there, to make it in time. Another step and he was finally in front of the officer, in between him and the gun that was pointed at him. It wasn't enough. He had to be completely safe. He had to shield him completely. Then he heard the crack of the gunshot.

Kaito let his poker face fall for a split second in fear as he dove forward, sheltering the inspector with his own body. _Please let me make it. Please let my luck hold out._ Then something punched into his back, right around his kidney area that knocked the breath out him. Thank God he chose a guard with armor to protect against bullets. He felt ribs buckle and snap, but no blood. That was good, he could work with that.

He was up in a half a second. Time was moving so slowly. It hadn't even been two seconds since the bullet split the night. KID made eye contact with his first reliable ally, knowing that he was prepared for anything, and would be able to guess his plan as well as react as fast as he could. Conan had been surveying the buildings behind the scene but as soon as he felt the gaze he turned. Conan stared at him with wide eyes, disbelieving, and he jumped when he noticed KID staring at him. _Please Tantei-kun, get the message. Please understand._

KID whipped out his card gun. Comprehension showed on the detective's face as he knelt, fiddling with his shoes. KID waited another split second before he fired straight at the sniper. The card would never reach, it was too flimsy and the distance was too far, however almost simultaneously a blue and golden sparking blur followed, right toward the sniper. It sped through the sky like a comet, leaving a trail. KID grinned knowing the sniper had a nasty surprise to the face; he knew what those soccer balls could do and it wasn't pleasant. Suddenly another shot permeated the air.

KID let out a small gasp as something blew through his left shoulder like a hot poker. Instantly his arm was covered in blood and he raised his right hand to try and stifle it. Crap he still needed to escape. His breathing picked up and he moaned quietly as the pain throbbed throughout his entire body. This was bad, no this was beyond bad. He stepped back. All of the taskforce members were shouting about something but it was muffled and hard to tell. KID blinked multiple times. Why was it going dark? What was happening? All he knew was that he needed to get out of there. No hospitals. He needed to find Jii. He took another step back and another, staggering as his vision spun. Just…get…away.

Something hit the back of his knees, and the last thing he saw before darkness filled his vision was a familiar cowlick of hair and striking sapphire eyes open in horror.

* * *

Conan didn't know what happened. One minute he was about to catch KID and then all chaos had broken loose. He had been a little behind the inspector watching KID discreetly, hoping to get more concrete evidence against the thief, when he had seen KID's eyes focus on something. Conan blinked in surprise. Something was off.

Then KID had leapt forward in front of Nakamori Keibu, and with his own voice had shouted a warning. By then Conan was already moving. This wasn't planned, this wasn't a prank. Something was definitely wrong for the thief to blow his cover like that.

That's when the gun went off.

Conan blanched at the unnaturalness of it. A real gun at a KID heist was like finding a snowball in a desert; impossible. No one dared violate the rule of nonviolence. No police, no detective, and definitely not the thief. Conan managed to see the bullet hit the thief and the slight spasm that he gave before turning toward the buildings, looking with his glasses, using the binocular function, searching desperately. Where was the sniper?

Suddenly he felt it again. KID was looking at him, trying to get his attention. Conan turned back to the thief. By now the taskforce was yelling in shock and trying to pinpoint the sniper's location as well, but none of that mattered. It was only Conan and KID in this moment.

The look on the thief's face, disguised as it was, was frantic, and yet held a level of trust. He was trying to convey a message. Conan blinked, his overly active mind trying to figure out the problem, when KID pulled out his gun. Oh. Kid knew where the sniper was. A card couldn't reach that far. A soccer ball could.

Conan hurriedly flipped the switch on his shoes and already had the ball out of his belt. KID trusted him to get the culprit, and he would. How dare this person mess up a KID heist? Conan watched the card fly, and calculated the trajectory, even after the card fluttered away in the wind. He saw the scope glinting in the moonlight and put an extra emphasis in his kick, shooting the ball forward in a streak of color. As soon as he shot he raced to Nakamori's side. The inspector hadn't moved since the whole ordeal began and was still sitting on the ground in shock. Conan shook the inspector's arm.

"Nakamori Keibu! There is a sniper, you need to arrest him! I just knocked him out. He's on that building, but you need to hurry."

Conan needed to get the taskforce occupied by this new criminal, because honestly was there really a competition between the Moonlight Magician and highly dangerous sniper that tried to shoot a police officer? He needed to get them away so KID could escape and to arrest the man that dared muck up the evening.

Nakamori jumped out of his trance, bellowing orders to his men to get to that rooftop now. This was a different timbre though; this tone was filled with fear and anger, instead of just mild annoyance that he previously held during the heist. The taskforce was already moving out the door in a dead sprint; it seemed that they shared Conan's sentiment about KID's heists being off limits to real guns. Not to mention, they had tried to kill one of their own, and the police were protective of their own.

Conan turned to look at KID, who had been forgotten in all the chaos and froze. The thief was dangerously close to the ledge overlooking the river, and was clutching his shoulder, eyes unfocused as he stared at the ground. Conan's mouth dropped open as he noticed the copious amount of blood drenching the thief's uniform. Then he remembered hearing a second shot, but was too busy with Nakamori Keibu to truly register. Did the thief get shot again?

Conan saw it happen in his mind's eye a split second before it did as KID took another step back. He sprinted forward, hand outstretched, reaching uselessly as the phantom thief hit the barrier on the roof between ground and open air. Conan shouted, trying to pull the thief back into full consciousness.

"KID!"

Conan watched, unable to look away as KID just crumpled, like a marionette with his strings cut, eyes rolling back as he tipped backwards over open water.

Conan was two steps away. No, not like this. This wasn't supposed to happen. A thought raced through his mind. What should he do? Call for help? Too far away. One step away. A flashback of all the times that KID had not hesitated to save his life. No, he was a detective. Detectives saved lives, even if they were annoying phantom thieves, who actually were flesh and blood too.

Conan didn't hesitate; he never did.

He gave an extra kick with his power shoes and dove head first off the building, still reaching for Kaitou KID.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ooh a cliffhanger. I will try not to make it a habit. Hope you enjoy!**

Conan felt gravity overtake him as he stared down at the disguised thief only a few feet below him. Crap, what was he doing? There was no way a six year old body could handle pulling a full grown man (boy?) out of the water. Not to mention drowning was the thing that had presented the biggest problem in his life out of all of the dangers that had been thrown in his direction since he had been shrunk. His little lungs couldn't hold air at all and would drown in less than a minute. This whole situation was screwed up, but Conan was committed now, and he never quit on saving a life before. He just removed his glasses and put them in his pocket as he fell, not wanting the impact to shatter his disguise.

In two seconds they had passed the third and second floor. Conan reached down and grabbed the thief's legs. With his extra kick he had caught up to KID. He needed to move him from a vertical position instead of a horizontal. The KID probably had broken ribs from his previous gunshot wound and doing a reverse belly flop from a three story fall would probably not feel too great. He had barely managed to tilt the thief a little and suck in a quick breath before they hit the water.

* * *

Kaito was jerked out of unconsciousness by an impact that sent ripples of intense pain through his rib cage. The second thing he noticed was the cold wetness of a liquid surrounding him. Where was he? What happened? He tried to take a breath and was confused and panicked to find he sucked in a whole bunch of water instead. He jerked, struggling against the pull of the water as he coughed, trying to suck in another breath. His left arm throbbed again as he tried to swim toward the surface, toward air.

Suddenly a hand grabbed at his face closing his mouth and nose. Bewildered, Kaito tried to squirm away from the hand that held him. Was this it? Was he captured? The hand persisted, staying cleanly on his face, only slightly rumpling his disguise. Kaito was about to draw his knockout spray when his head hit a rock and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Conan winced as he accidentally shoved the thief into the rock in his quest of keeping his fingers on KID's face. He hadn't meant to, but it was probably for the best. He could tell, even in the dark the thief was struggling and aggravating his injuries. Conan riffled through his pockets with one hand. Thank God he had anticipated the thief might use the river to escape and brought Hakase Agasa's mini air tank. He sucked a few quick breaths out of it, just to see if it would work, before shoving it in KID's mouth.

Now, how was he going to get the thief to the surface? Wait did he want to bring him to the surface? What if there was more than one sniper? It was definitely a possibility, and Conan wasn't willing to take the chance. The river's current was a fast one, and it was already pulling both of the boys out of town and into the forest beside the museum, at least that's what Conan guessed. He would just have to stay under for a little while longer.

Conan patted up with his free hand. One was still clenched around the phantom thief's nose, trying to keep him from inhaling more water, but the other hand could be doing something else useful, like supplying pressure to the bleeding wound. There he felt the small hole, in the left shoulder. He pressed against it earnestly, trying desperately to staunch the flow of blood.

This wasn't going to work for long. He barely was holding onto the oxygen he had. Hurriedly he used his hand to grab the respirator out of KID's mouth, closing it with his other hand as he took a few quick breaths. Three deep breaths later, he popped it back in the thief's mouth, giving him the life giving device. It was amazing how oxygen in the brain really boosted idea production. All other conspiracies, deductions of the events that had occurred in the past ten minutes fell away as he focused solely on the survival of his companion.

What did he have? He had his shoes, his suspender, his ball belt, tranquilizer watch, and his glasses as well as trackers. He could use the suspenders to pull the much heavier person to shore, but getting him to the surface was a problem. Ah, his ball belt. The ball could get them to the surface. Thank god Hakase Agasa upgraded his belt to hold three soccer balls, including the firework one. Conan quickly unfastened the belt around his waist. Crap, he needed two hands for this. Praying that KID kept breathing naturally out of his mouth and not drown, Conan removed his hand from the thief's nose and quickly clipped the belt around his waist. Immediately he removed his suspenders and tied one end to the belt as he resumed his previous position. All right, he was ready.

He clicked the button on the belt, diving lower to make way for the ball ballooning from the belt. Instantly he felt himself rise upward toward the surface. Good thing too because he was running out of air again. Curse this tiny body.

A second later his head broke the surface with a gasp. He glanced around. How far had they drifted downstream? He couldn't even see the lights of the city anymore. He glanced toward the comatose man. It was dark, with the faint moonlight though, it was easy to see that KID's disguise was tattered and torn, more than likely from the impact of the water. Latex hung off, exposing a good half of the thief's face at least, but in the dark it was near impossible to see details. Conan coughed as he accidentally slipped under water. He resurfaced, shaking an arm.

"Oi KID!"

No response. He could do virtually nothing out here in the middle of an almost freezing river. Now that they weren't drowning, dry land was next on the list.

"Tch."

Conan gritted as he gripped the suspenders in his hand and started toward the shore. Somehow they had drifted into the middle of the river, which was a good kilometer across. It was a long and cold swim to shore. His muscles, more tuned to run and kick rather than swim, burned and he slipped under from exhaustion several times, but he was not going to just give up. He would always resurface, coughing and choking on water, but eyes still focused on the goal of the shore, which seemed deceptively close. He wouldn't lose concentration now. The soccer ball wouldn't last much longer, and he had to reach shore before it deflated, sending KID back under, and dragging him back as well. Conan panted as he stroked through the water.

"KID…if you die…I'm going to be pissed."

Sure he could say he was annoyed at the whole situation, but it wasn't even that. Genuine fear, panic, and worry permeated his being for the phantom thief, as if he was someone that he cared about. It was the same feelings he would have if it was Ran, or the detective boys, or any of the officers of Division One, or even Sonoko was injured and in danger. He just wanted the thief back to his arrogant annoying self, not dying.

Finally he felt the silt underneath his waterlogged shoes. He trudged up the slope to the rocky shore, climbing along the small beach until he finally hit dry ground. He fell to his hands and knees panting with exertion, but forced himself forward. Finding a suitable tree, he wrapped his suspenders around it, and clicked the button. He felt the slight resistance that threatened to pull him back into the river but he gritted his teeth, letting out a grunt as he pulled against the force.

Finally KID was floating in the shallow part of the river. Conan splashed toward him; pulling on the straps of the bullet proof vest he was wearing, dragging him to complete safety. Finally, after a long and arduous process of hauling him a few feet, stopping to rest, rinse and repeat did Conan finally pull him to a suitable distance away from the river. After dropping KID, he fell back on his back, breathing heavy as exhaustion set in. His lungs and muscles still burned from the strain of swimming and almost drowning, let alone carrying a man at least twice his size out of the water. He just wanted to lay here and possibly sleep if he could, but he knew he couldn't. Conan allowed for a two second respite before sitting back up. Now was not the time to be resting.

Priorities. He needed to check on KID's injuries. They weren't out of the woods yet.

Conan crawled to the thief's side. The detective first started with the basic first aid. Did he have a pulse? Check, but weak. Was he warm and not dying of hypothermia? Check possibly, come back to that one. Was he breathing? Che-no check. Conan's breath hitched as realization settled on him and he stared down at KID in disbelief, murmuring.

"Oi, oi, seriously?"

The thief didn't respond, and it only occurred to the detective how pale, and lifeless he looked.

Conan froze, mind grinding to a halt, before kick starting back into gear. _No! How long has he not been breathing?_ The detective hurriedly tilted the thief's neck back, shoving his jaw open to look for blockages. None. Good.

Conan placed his tiny hands on the rib cage, pressing down and up in rapid succession. He didn't care that he was trying his best to break already fractured ribs. He stared at the chest, not trusting himself to look up at the face. This couldn't happen. KID was not going to die over something as petty as this. Conan was going to take him to prison, where he would rot. He wouldn't allow something like this to happen, especially on his watch.

Ten compressions in and there were still no sign of life. Conan muttered.

"Come on, breathe."

Nothing; there was no response from the thief whatsoever, verbal or otherwise. Twenty chest compressions now and the panic was growing with each passing second. Conan gritted his teeth as he commanded a little louder.

"Breathe you idiot thief breathe."

He slammed his clenched fist straight down on the sternum. KID jerked. Conan placed his hands back on the chest, ready to start again when KID spasmed. Conan watched, holding his own breath as KID gasped lightly, which turned into a wet hacking cough. Conan jerked back as KID curled up on his uninjured side, retching up water that was currently in his lungs. Conan lightly patted the exposed back, trying to get it all out of the thief. The shrunken detective heaved a heavy sigh of relief as KID rolled back over onto his back, wheezing slightly, but breathing. He smiled gratefully.

"Thank goodness."

All right, now that KID wasn't dying, now to check on his other injuries. This meant he needed light.

Conan stopped in turning on his watch flashlight. Right now if he shined a light at the thief, he would see his face; his undisguised face. Even if he couldn't see it now, when he had to pull off the clothes to bandage him it would easily rip the mask right off, which meant full exposure. He had a choice here, and he had to make it quick. Wait, was he still bleeding?

Conan felt around in the semi light of the moon, finding the bullet wound. It was still leaking blood, however it had slowed considerably. Conan pressed down hard against the wound, ignoring the soft groan from his patient. He would need a good ten minutes of pressure at least to stop the bleeding. That was enough time to contemplate this new dilemma.

It was always a goal of his, ever since he first saw him and his infuriating smirk that oozed confidence and daring, to rip that mask straight off the thief's face, and not one of his disguises either. To find out his identify and turn him into the police; it was a no brainer. That's what detectives did; catch criminals, especially international ones.

However this definitely wasn't the most ideal setting. He wanted it in front of KID's fan club, showing his face on the stage of his heists that he loved so much, watching as the thief accepted his fate with dignity and prowess, an honest end to their competition. This situation definitely did not play out in some back woods, with the phantom thief unconscious, sporting a gunshot wound when he couldn't even defend himself. It just seemed…wrong, and entirely unfair. Shinichi Kudo always pursued the truth, no matter the lengths, however even he decided that KID needed leniency just this once; he wasn't the type to kick a man when he was already down. That's not how the relationship between him and the thief worked.

KID had rules for his heists, and the detective decided he also needed rules for this unorthodox criminal. He had decided long ago that he would only try to expose the thief or his trick and thwart his escape. Pursuing was allowed, however once the thief had escaped he was off limits. There was also that favor system that both shared, the fierce competition, but willingness to help the other in a pinch.

Conan nodded to himself. All right, it was decided. He would not try to find out KID's identity during this time. He would focus on getting the thief home and intact.

Slowly he felt the blood beneath his fingers stop and he pulled away his hands. They were soaked and that was another cause of concern. Conan had no idea how much blood he had lost between the roof, the river, and the current lodging on the beach, and that was dangerous. Blood loss had its own problems, not to mention he had limited supplies here. He didn't know if KID even carried medical supplies with him.

Conan sat KID up, slipping off the police armor, helmet, and undershirt. Sure enough, he felt the mask tear even further as he removed the clothing, trying not to jostle the thief. It didn't dislodge completely, but he was definitely more exposed now. Conan winced, but kept moving. Time was of the essence, and speed was a must in this situation. The faster KID received any medical attention the better. He had no time for second thoughts.

There, KID in his usual white attire, which meant his cape. Conan unfastened the fabric, pulling it out from under the body. His hands efficiently riffled through the thief's pockets; he would probably be annoyed later at the breach of privacy, but Conan was just trying to find something, anything to use to treat injuries. He would understand the urgency of the situation. All the medical knowledge he had accumulated over the years whirled in his brain as he took stock of the inventory that wasn't his own. The jewel, the prize that was long forgotten, was set to one side as he pulled out cards, handkerchiefs, flowers, Rubik's cubes? What? Anyway continue, balls, pellets that were probably his dummies and sleeping gas and smoke bombs, a lighter, and disguise materials. He only went through some of the pockets, probably not even finding all the hidden pockets on the magician.

Now with everything laid out, Conan glanced around, trying to find something useful. _I need possible needle and thread to sew up the wound, something for disinfectant, probably painkillers for later, and bandages, as well as something to hide his face. It looks like the bullet was just a flesh wound, so there was no damage to joints or bone, and it exited cleanly so I don't have to deal with lead poisoning, but that's a small mercy. Lady Luck smiles on Kaitou KID once again._

Conan smiled as he came across a flask. _Is this…?_ He unscrewed the cap and sniffed. Alcohol, not the ideal kind, but could definitely sterilize a wound. Wait…what's that box? He picked it up, tilting it in his hands. A metal box and it was locked with some sort of puzzle. A tick mark appeared on the shrunken detective's forehead. Stupid magicians and their secrecy. He just wanted to check and make sure that what was inside was useful, and thankfully it was an easy enough puzzle to crack for a genius. A few clicks later, the box opened to reveal the best gift of all. It was a mini first aid kit, complete with sewing kit, gauze, tape, painkillers, and a small roll of bandages. Conan smiled as he pulled the supplies out and set them to one side. The bandages were not nearly enough, so he would need to make more.

Conan reached into the thief's breast pocket and pulled out the card gun. Hurriedly he pointed the gun at the tree, pulling the trigger. The card stuck almost a half inch into the bark, but Conan quickly pulled it out, drawing his thumb across the edge. It was sharp, not as good as a knife, but Conan was willing to work with anything at this point.

He quickly lay the cape aside, apologizing to the thief silently as he started cutting at the edge. It was the only bit of extra cloth they had, and the detective was willing to bet he had extras and he didn't need a hang glider in the near future. The first part he cut was a cloth square off the corner. He folded it into a triangle and gulped. This was the tricky part.

Slowly he tied the bandana loosely around the thief's face. He hesitated. How did he want to do this? KID's breathing was still weak, and he definitely didn't want to block his mouth even if it was a thin cloth. However if he covered up the top half of his face, including his eyes, KID would flip out when he awoke. Conan sighed. No choice; safety over comfort.

He secured the cloth as best as he could in the semi-darkness, breathing a sigh of relief, before pulling away the rest of the disguise from underneath and throwing it aside. It was unsalvageable anyway.

The thief was finally exposed, and the only thing keeping his identity a secret was a flimsy piece of cloth. It would be so easy…the temptation was definitely there. Conan shook his head. He was focusing on all the wrong things. Now he could use a light.

He switched his watch on and relaxed tense shoulders when he realized that he couldn't glean any information from the prone figure in front of him, which scared him a little. Gripping the watch in between his teeth he set to work, cutting up half of the cape. The most grievous wound would be the gunshot wound, so he would start with that first. The blood had finally stopped, so that was a plus.

Conan peeled back the suit jacket and shirt, exposing the wound. He unscrewed the cap of the flask, glancing at the thief before slowly pouring some over the wound. KID jerked and groaned in discomfort. Conan muttered around the watch band as he pinned the thief down, more for his reassurance then the thief's.

"Sorry, but it's necessary."

He splashed about half of the liquid on the wound, saving the other half for later. It would help start a fire. Setting it aside carefully, deft fingers threaded the needle. First he would focus on the front and then the back. He had never done this before, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

KID didn't wake up during the informal surgery, only voicing mild protestations in his comatose state, which Conan didn't mind. It meant the thief was alive, and it gave him something to do as he quietly soothed the thief as he concentrated on his work. After sealing both wounds he grimaced. It wasn't pretty, but it would last them until he got better medical attention.

As he reached for the gauze, he allowed his mind to fill with other thoughts. Did KID know he was going to be attacked? That would explain the medical equipment that he carried on his person. Has he been attacked before to warrant such a response? This was worrying, and unneeded right now. He needed to concentrate on the task at hand.

He carefully wrapped the bandages around the gauze, keeping it firm, but not too tight. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that KID was still breathing, pale, and after counting the pulse beats, had a weak pulse, but most definitely still alive.

Conan picked up the thief, sitting up him up as he slipped the jacket off, as well as unbuttoning the shirt completely and removing it as well as the tie that he had loosened but not removed. God how did KID change into this so quickly, and perfectly no less? Stupid magicians that had quick fingers and supernatural abilities.

"All right KID, almost done, stay with me."

He glanced at the thief's back, wincing. Already the spot where the bullet hit was a dark purplish bruise about the size of an adult fist. Conan prodded at the skin, feeling the rib cage carefully for breaks. KID squirmed slightly away from the feeling. Conan just grumbled almost fondly.

"Keep still Baro I am trying to help."

He wasn't a doctor so he couldn't tell if the ribs were broken or not, and he certainly didn't have access to an x-ray. The good thing was that he could tell that the lungs weren't punctured and it didn't look like there was any internal bleeding. He would wrap them up just in case then. Slowly he tied the remnants of the thief's cape around his torso, keeping it as snug as he could to act as a cast.

He was struggling to keep his detective mind in check and focused on the task at hand instead of trying to find any distinguishing markings, taking measurements, as well as trying to figure out age. It would be so easy to just snag a hair, keep some blood from his hands or clothes, and get fingerprints. So easy. Conan sighed heavily and groaned. This was so unfair. KID had better be grateful.

He redressed the thief. The detective rocked back on his heels, switched off his light, and finally allowed himself to slouch with relief and exhaustion. He had done all he could right? All of his injuries were accounted for and treated to the best of his ability. His vitals were stable. There was nothing else…

Conan perked back up and narrowed his eyes. Wait wasn't he forgetting…he face palmed. Right, he had shoved the idiot thief into a rock, which meant a possible concussion.

This meant he had to look into KID's eyes.

Cursing silently Conan looked toward the temporary mask he had created. He could pull it up, but it would expose his entire face, without any monocle to hide behind. It was purely his fault, and now he was reaping what he sowed. So how was he going to do this exactly? Why was he even going this far for the thief, protecting him so much from himself? Usually as a detective, privacy was nothing but a curtain hiding the truth, so why was he hesitating drawing it back now? Besides he already knew the thief had to look like him in some aspects, otherwise he wouldn't be able to pull off the Shinichi Kudo disguise so well. So his eyes had to be blue. No big deal right?

Unless…he was wearing contacts. Then his eyes could be any color. Conan sighed as he shook his head. This was stupid. Why was he even thinking about this?

He hurriedly grabbed the police shirt that KID had used as a disguise and placed it just over his nose and mouth, completely covering the thief's face; it wouldn't be for that long so he could let it slide just this once. He slowly slid the previous mask up, exposing the two inches needed for the eyes. Conan flicked his light back on and hurriedly peeled the eyelid open of KID's right eye.

He breathed a sigh. The eyes were currently still rolled back, which meant he couldn't check for a concussion at this time. He would have to wait until the thief was awake.

He drew back, replacing the mask over the eyes and withdrawing the shirt only to position it underneath the thief's head as a pillow. All right, finally all was done.

So now what was the next course of action? Communicate outside help? He pulled out his cellphones out of his pockets and grimaced in displeasure. Of course they were fried from over exposure to water. Which meant the thief's was probably broken too. Not to mention, who would he have called? KID would vehemently refuse a hospital, as it would be a sure fire way to get caught, and Conan didn't exactly want to pull an injured criminal into his life. He supposed he could have called Professor Agasa. That was currently off the table though.

So his only option now was to wait until KID woke up and could move on his own to make it back to civilization. So in the meantime…Conan shivered as a wind swept through the trees. It was on the very edge of summer and spring, so it wasn't cold per-say, unless of course you decided to take a swim in an almost freezing river and stood around in soaking wet clothes. So the next on the list of priorities was a fire. He had a lighter, and alcohol to start it, but he didn't have any wood, which meant he needed to leave the thief's side. Conan looked down at the still unconscious thief and muttered.

"You wait here KID. Don't do anything reckless while I am gone."

First things first though. He walked back toward the edge of the river, washing his hands of the blood that had accumulated during the dressing of the wounds. _Destruction of evidence, huh. What kind of detective am I?_ Conan watched as the redness dissipated in to the water, leaving behind clean hands, however there went all the DNA he had from KID. Without another word, he flicked on his watch light and strolled farther into the forest, hoping he could collect enough wood before the thief woke up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Finals are over, I am home, and I am about to go on a road trip, so perfect time to catch up on writing this! I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am. Reviews are appreciated.**

An intense throbbing pain was the first thing that Kaito was aware of. _It hurts. What happened?_ His thoughts felt like they were scattered to the ends of the earth, and he was struggling just holding everything together. He tried to start over from the beginning.

Oh wait. He had gotten shot.

That brought him back into full wakefulness, but he stayed still. He had no idea his situation, and the next sensation only cemented the panic that was steadily growing in his chest. Something was covering his face. A cloth? Yes it was some type of fabric, and it went from the bridge of his nose up to cover his hair. And holy crap it was his real face, not the disguise he had earlier. He swallowed thickly, but kept still and his breathing even. Was he captured?

No, wait a minute. There was a blindfold but both of his hands were free, even if handcuffing a magician was a pointless endeavor. Also he wasn't lying on a bed, so hospital and jail was off the list of possible places he could be. He wasn't tied to a chair, which was probably where he would be if Snake had managed to catch him. He seemed to be laying on…the ground? Yeah that's what it felt like with the roots, dips and holes that he fel4t with his body. By the feel he must be…in a forest, if the ambiance around him was any clue.

Ok…so he wasn't in any danger? He felt something wrapping around his arm and chest so someone had bandaged him. So he had a savior. He just hoped it was a pretty girl that he could charm into letting him go.

He slowly cracked an eyelid. The cloth was white, which meant it was probably part of his KID attire, and there was a pretty good chance this person knew who he really was. But wait, there was some light flickering through the cloth. Was it daytime already? No way he was out that long right? No, a faint crackling meant a fire. So it was still night and he wasn't out as long as he thought.

He closed his eye again and strained his ears, listening for any sign of his savior. It didn't sound like anyone else was there with him. If he was lucky he could escape. The conditions weren't ideal, with broken ribs and a useless arm, but KID was nothing if not flexible. Just because shows don't go right doesn't mean it isn't the entertainer's job to try to salvage it. He could still make it out…possibly.

Just when he was about to move he heard something rustling through the undergrowth, coming toward him. An animal, or perhaps his mysterious rescuer? No, it was only two feet, which meant a human usually. Kaito kept up the pretense of being asleep just in case. There was a clatter, like someone had dropped a pile of sticks, probably for the fire and the sound of someone sitting a few feet away from him. _Poker face._ Kaito refused to move, even wince when a particularly hard throb shot through his arm. Suddenly a voice spoke into his awake, yet limited world.

"Are you finally awake, Kaitou Kid-san?"

Oh no. That voice was definitely familiar. The panic returned full force, constricting tightly on Kaito's chest, making it hard to breathe. Kaito gulped but took a moment to take in the tone of the simple question. It was slightly indifferent, yet had a slight twinge of worry and relief. That was…unexpected. But crap if it was him then…he must have seen his face.

The greatest detective of this century with a 100% solving mystery rate, who could pick out the tiniest details and had eidetic memory, now had seen his face. Sure the top hat and monocle didn't exactly leave much to the imagination, but it was better than being completely uncovered. God he hadn't even met him outside of uniform and the Modern day Holmes probably already knew his name. Not to mention, he was out for a long enough time for them to end up at this place and him to bandage him, so an hour at least. He could have taken any DNA he wanted, search for some form of ID on him, and basically collect as much evidence against him as needed.

He was so screwed.

Gathering up every bit of acting skill he had accumulated over the years of being a KID, as well as his usual casual, suave personality, Kaito replied, thankful his voice came out what he felt was pretty close to normal.

"Ah, hello Tantei-kun."

He raised his uninjured hand toward the blindfold. Tantei-kun probably put it there to disorient him and make sure he didn't run. Made sense to him. Conan's voice broke through the night again, this time slightly panicked.

"Hold on a second."

Kaito paused. Wait for what now? There was a shuffle of movement and a few footsteps in the opposite direction.

"All right, I am not looking. You can disguise yourself now."

Kaito froze, tensing. Wait…did that mean that Tantei-kun—

"You didn't look?"

Kaito winced at the surprise and almost hopefulness in his voice. Jeez, Tantei-kun making him drop his guard. He heard a scoff.

"Baro, of course I didn't. I was focusing on keeping you breathing."

Kaito took a deep breath as he slowly pulled the makeshift blindfold up off one eye, making sure it wasn't a trap. There was a small fire sparking between them, and on the other side of the fire was Tantei-kun, back turned to him as he stared off into the forest. Kaito slipped the bandana off his head completely as he stared at Conan's cowlick. Conan shivered under the gaze.

"Sorry about the blindfold. Your breathing was really weak so I didn't want to take the chance of making it worse by covering it with cloth, so blindfolding you was my only option. I know that must have really made you think the police had you."

Kaito took a deep breath and slowly sat up, wincing all the way. He let out a tsk of displeasure as pain raked through his body and the world seemed to tilt sideways. Conan asked quietly.

"Do you need help changing with one arm?"

Kaito glanced at him before giving a smirk.

"Ah, no Tantei-kun. It will be a little slower than usual but I can manage."

The next thing he saw made him freeze. His inventory was set out on the ground, along with his cape that looked a whole lot shorter.

"You went through my things?"

The question wasn't accusatory, more like stating the fact. He watched Conan stiffen.

"I only went through the main pockets to look for medical supplies. I didn't find anything secretive."

Kaito picked up his emergency aid kit, and wasn't surprised to find it open. Of course the genius kid had got through the puzzle.

"What all did you use?"

Conan rattled off the list instantly.

"Alcohol from the flask to disinfect and start the fire, your lighter for the fire, one card from your gun to cut your cape, your cape for bandages, I used most of your medical supplies to sew up and dress your wounds. You know it isn't too smart putting a puzzle on your medical kit. What happens when you injure your hands or something?"

Kaito scoffed, placing the box aside.

"As if. I assure you, if I am getting injured my hands will be the last to be so. A magician without hands doesn't have a livelihood."

Conan scoffed.

"Yeah, great for when you are passed out too."

Kaito rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically as he poked his cape mournfully.

"Ah Tantei-kun, you know how much white capes cost?"

There was a slight irritation in the young boy's tone, plus a slight sprinkling of sarcasm.

"Excuse me for my rudeness; I thought that you would have preferred to have that hole in your shoulder sealed."

Kaito grinned, hiding his amusement. Tantei-kun was always so fun to tease.

Kaito flicked off the cap for the painkiller bottle and downed two pills. He patted himself down and found that, true to his word, all of his secret pockets remained untouched, as well as his monocle and hat. Heaving a silent sigh he started changing into a disguise. First he pulled out his facial supplies. He couldn't make a mask now, but he could definitely use makeup and alter his face slightly.

He worked quickly in silence. It was slightly slower with only one arm, but doable. It approximately took him two minutes longer to fix his face then normal. It was the bare minimum, but enough to change the structure and skin tone. Another minute and he was changed into comfortable jeans, his usual black t-shirt, and a dark baseball hat. He kept his monocle on however. He needed as much protection against the observant detective as possible. Finally when everything was double checked he turned back to the fire with a smirk.

"Sorry for the wait. You can turn around now."

Conan swiftly turned around, his blue eyes glinting through his spectacles in the firelight. Kaito just smirked as he felt the eyes rove over his face, and was surprised to see him relax slightly. For a second they just stared at each other over the small fire.

Conan took a deep breath as he watched the thief for any signs of pain. He was sitting there, looking as nonchalant as could be, as if Conan had asked him out for dinner. It was nice seeing the eyes glinting with mischief, and him not bleeding to death. It also comforted him slightly that he was disguised. The temptation to turn around to see KID's face while he was changing his disguise was almost overwhelming, but Conan persisted. He hadn't done it when it was the easiest for him, and he was way too committed now. Now for a few follow up questions. Conan stated quietly.

"I'm surprised you didn't dress up as me."

Kaito's smirk widened a fraction.

"I always could."

Conan scowled slightly and Kaito raised an eyebrow, knowing the mini tantei wouldn't do anything. Conan sighed. The thief was almost better asleep.

"So how do you feel?"

Kaito's face dropped as he took stock of his injuries. After a few seconds he replied slowly.

"Sore, but manageable."

Conan persisted.

"How does your head feel? Do you feel nauseas? How is your vision?"

Kaito blinked in confusion.

"My head hurts a little, I don't feel sick, and my vision is normal."

Conan smiled slightly.

"Good, so I don't have to check for concussion then."

Kaito cocked his head to one side in confusion.

"No, I don't think I have one."

Conan leaned forward.

"Do you have any way to contact someone?"

Kaito shook his head, materializing two small communication devices in his hand.

"I don't carry phones at heists, and I use these to communicate with my assistant, but he wasn't there tonight. They are water resistant so they should work, but it doesn't matter if I have both of them."

"So, what about travel? Can you move?"

Kaito took stock of his injuries again. His arm hurt like a son of a biscuit, while every breath caused pain in his rib cage. He answered truthfully.

"I can move, but I doubt it will be very fast."

Conan nodded in satisfaction.

"I think we should rest here for the night, and we can walk back tomorrow. I doubt we are that far from Beika."

The heist had been held at a museum in a town just over from Beika, maybe a five mile walk through the woods that separated them. Conan had already checked with his glasses that had honed in on the detective badges of the other detective boys. They were all in the same direction and they could easily get back within a day. Conan threw a few more sticks on the fire.

"Thank goodness today is Friday. I hope you didn't have plans tomorrow."

Kaito shook his head. Aoko was going out to spend some much needed time with her father. Hakuba, the jerk, was away in England, and Akako, well she never visited. No he had planned to sleep off the heist and have kind of a lazy day. Jii was probably the only one who knew he was missing as well. Plus giving tomorrow for travel, left Sunday as a day to kind of recuperate before he went back to school on Monday. Small mercies. That didn't help him in his current predicament though.

Kaito resisted the urge to groan. Spending the night with Tantei-kun? That sounded like a disaster. However, it couldn't be helped. He doubt he could get anywhere in this darkness, as well as he didn't know how far his body with all the blood loss could get him. He just leaned back slightly, getting comfortable.

"Oh, I am sorry you have to spend your lovely evening with me a humble thief. I bet you would love it if I was a certain Ran-chan however. Oh wait, you normally do that."

Conan narrowed his eyes in displeasure. He was going to be teased all night wasn't he? Kaito noticed the look and chuckled, holding up an uninjured hand.

"Lighten up Tantei-kun. In the meantime, would you like to tell me what happened? I seem to remember falling asleep halfway through."

Conan raised an eyebrow.

"What do you remember?"

Kaito's eyes glinted mischievously.

"I remember giving a certain Tantei-kun the slip."

Conan grew his usual smirk, light glaring off his glasses; it was the look he wore when he figured out a trick.

"Ah, you stepped into that side closet didn't you? Pathetic of me really, predicting you would just head straight to the roof. I should have learned long ago not to try to predict your movements."

Kaito pulled slightly at the brim of his cap, easily portraying the gentleman thief that he was.

"I wasn't expecting a compliment Tantei-kun."

Conan's grin widened a fraction.

"I also knew what officer you were. Your card gun stuck out a little, leaving a little bit extra room on the vest."

Kaito raised his eyebrows. As always, he should never underestimate the chibi tantei. Seriously, such a small thing? How did anyone see that? Conan's face fell into a frown.

"I was going to apprehend you as soon as Nakamori Keibu finished with his talk. But then you got all serious."

Kaito nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, I saw a laser sight on the good inspector. The first time was on the arm, and then the second time it was on his forehead. So I jumped to intervene."

He gave Conan a pointed look.

"You did hit him right?"

Conan scoffed.

"Of course I did. I even gave it a little extra kick to make sure it broke something."

Kaito gave a snort at the pun, which Conan just gave him a deadpan look. The thief gave a one shouldered shrug.

"I think all three of us shot at the same time though, because I got hit again. And I think that is the last thing I remember."

Conan picked up the tale easily.

"As soon as I shot the ball I got Nakamori Keibu's attention and directed him to the sniper. Then I turned around to see you falling off the roof. So I jumped after you. I held your nose and mouth so you wouldn't drown."

He glanced to the side and shivered.

"If I get a cold because of this, I am totally kicking your face in next heist."

Kaito smiled softly.

"I hope you don't either then.

He tried to search back, to recollect on what had happened. He seemed to have a faint memory of water, and hands grabbing at his face. Thank God he was unconscious. He might have come face to face with…the finny things. It was a blessing in disguise. But how did he pass out again?

"Ah, is that where the possible concussion happened?"

Conan stared down at the fire a little guiltily.

"Yeah sorry, you were panicking and I slammed you into a rock on accident."

Kaito raised an eyebrow at the apology. Well that was new, Tantei-kun actually sounding remorseful about something that involved an injury on his person. Heck, he wasn't even regretful when he was almost blown to pieces on that train. Pushing past that issue for the moment, he would revisit it later, he questioned.

"So care to explain how you played life guard Tantei-kun? Not that I don't believe in your physical abilities, but I am slightly interested how you pulled off that magic trick."

Conan leaned back with a sigh, digging around in his pocket.

"I wasn't sure if there was another sniper, so I kept us under for a while. I used this to keep us breathing."

He tossed over a small cylinder. Kaito caught it and examined it.

"Agasa Hakase invented it. It is a mini air tank that holds up to ten minutes of air. I suspected you might use the river to escape so I brought it just in case."

Kaito smiled inwardly in awe at the invention in his hands. He would love to meet this professor. He wasn't a fan of all of his inventions, namely demon shoes and monstrous soccer ball belt, but the other inventions he carried were cool and creative. Conan continued with his story.

"I used an inflatable soccer ball to get us to the surface, and I used my suspenders to get you to shore. Then I treated your injuries to the best of my ability."

Conan gave him a flat look.

"You stopped breathing you know. Scared the crap out of me."

Kaito froze in his examination. He could only imagine the sight. Tantei-kun was a fast thinker and was always quick to react. He would have immediately tried to save the thief's life without hesitation. He was like KID in that sense. Gratitude swamped the thief as he secretly looked at his young companion, however, he didn't let it show.

"Sorry to worry you Tantei-kun. You didn't use mouth to mouth did you? I would hate it if my first kiss went to a seven year old."

Conan's mouth dropped open, stunned. He blinked slowly, still trying to comprehend the statement.

"Um, no. You started breathing before I had to."

Kaito tossed the tank back at Conan, sighing dramatically.

"Ah, if only I had a cute little lady as a nurse instead of a critic. Then I wouldn't have minded."

He gave Conan a roguish wink. Conan rolled his eyes, recovered from the surprise. Of course, KID was trying to rile him up.

"Beggars can't be choosers."

Kaito giggled softly.

"I always could dress you in the part Tantei-kun."

Conan flinched and looked at Kaito with something akin to shock and horror.

"Wait, right now? You don't have the materials."

Kaito honestly had no such outfit, but a certain detective didn't know that. If he was going to be injured and spend the night with Tantei-kun he might as well have a little fun. He just gave a small shrug, daring smirk sliding easily on his face.

"As you put so elegantly, you didn't find all my secret pockets. I could even make you a pretty girl nurse too."

Conan drew back slightly, blue eyes sparkling in the firelight, narrowed and defensive.

"You wouldn't dare."

Kaito wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, wouldn't I?"

They had a staring contest, before Conan smirked.

"I can outrun you as you are."

Kaito fought to keep down his laughter as he switched voice to a certain detective's daughter.

"You wouldn't leave me injured all alone, would you?"

He made sure to make the question as flirtatious as possible, and the effect was immediate. Conan's face flushed bright red and he gasped in shock before fury and annoyance crossed his face. Kaito finally let go of the pretenses and laughed long and hard.

Conan blinked in surprise. So KID was a prankster, teasing sort. He already kind of figured, but this was a whole new KID. It wasn't often that the thief dropped his masks, and Conan felt like he was seeing the real KID, the one that didn't wear the top hat and monocle. Vaguely more questions about the thief's real identity floated through his brain. What did he do for fun? What other personality traits did he have? What was his home life like? What were his friends like? Did he have any hobbies? Conan shook his head, trying to dispel the interrogation mode that his brain automatically went into when confronting a mystery. Maybe this mystery would solve itself, given time alone with the thief overnight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! I kind of lied. There will be spoilers in this for those not caught up in the anime, haven't watched Magic Kaito, OVAs with Kaito in them, or watched all the movies. I probably should have clarified. Also, sorry for the late update. Our roadtrip had no wifi. Hard to post things like that. Now, onto the chapter.**

After Kaito finally stopped laughing, they sat there in silence for a few seconds, which was broken by Kaito.

"You have questions."

The statement immediately focused Conan's attention, sapphire eyes flinty in the firelight.

"As do you."

Kaito nodded. There were quite a few things that he needed to clear up with the mini detective about the night's course of events.

"How many?"

"Three."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. Only three? Well, he supposed his two questions kind of narrowed down the main things that were piquing his curiosity. The thief brought up his uninjured arm up to his chest in a theatrical half bow.

"You first, meitantei."

Conan bit his lip. Oh gosh, where to start? He reviewed the events at the heist. He might as well go in order.

"Why did you jump? In front of Nakamori Keibu?"

Kaito couldn't help the eyebrow raising, shattering his poker face slightly. Really, out of all the questions to ask, that was the first thing that came to Tantei-kun's mind? Not the more pressing things, like the attendance of a sniper? He shrugged mentally. Maybe it was Tantei-kun's way of warming him up to the heavier topics later. Now, how was he going to answer this? He couldn't exactly say he was trying to save his, hopefully, future father-in-law. He took a deep breath and replied easily.

"What kind of question is that Tantei-kun? You know how my heists operate. No one gets hurt. That includes the dear inspector. After all, he is the one who has been chasing after me the longest. Heists just wouldn't be the same without him shouting curses in my general direction."

Conan blinked before leaning forward.

"Let me rephrase the question. Do you know him outside of being KID?"

Kaito almost choked on his own saliva, thankfully his years of training his poker face allowed him to keep his composure. How had Tantei-kun reached that conclusion?

"What makes you say that?"

Conan shrugged.

"I don't have any hard evidence, just a gut feeling I suppose. But the way you shouted a warning made me think you knew him personally."

Kaito needed to get Tantei-kun off of this train of thought. He didn't need the sleuth investigating the Nakamoris, and find out about him. He waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Of course I know him personally. I do steal a lot of his life away from his family with heists after all."

Conan blinked, observing the thief's body language. It looked like he was telling the truth, but it wasn't the whole truth. Deciding to drop the subject, he moved on.

"Fine. Your question?"

Kaito smirked.

"Mine is the same as yours."

Conan cocked his head to one side in confusion. Kaito explained.

"Why did you jump Tantei-kun."

Conan looked a little shocked at the question, before settling for a slightly irritated look.

"Are you an idiot?"

Kaito gave a small shrug.

"You gotta admit Tantei-kun, not everyone jumps off a building to save an internationally wanted thief."

Conan averted his eyes, staring into the small fire between them.

"Multiple reasons."

Kaito couldn't help the smile gracing his features. That was a sure sign that Tantei-kun was hiding something from him. It wouldn't hurt to pry a little. He grinned.

"We have all the time in the world Tantei-kun. What were the reasons?"

Conan frowned and sighed. Of course the thief wouldn't just leave it at that. He held up one hand, with one finger up.

"One, I am a detective, and saving lives is part of the job description, whether they are criminals or not. Two, I do believe I have accumulated a lot of favors from you from when you have helped me out in a pinch or more than likely saving my life. Just returning the favor."

He paused, looking at his two raised fingers, before slowly raising a third.

"I couldn't trust you this time."

Kaito blinked in confusion. What had that meant? Last time he checked, Conan didn't trust the thief anyway, perks of being a compulsive liar, disguiser, and well, thief.

"What do you mean?"

Conan looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, usually your escapes are always dangerous, but doable. I mean one miscalculation or messed up part of your hang glider and you would go splat on the pavement. That's one thing about your shows, there is some level of danger, but I knew I could always trust you to escape on your own, without any problems. You are an escape artist after all. That's why I wasn't worried when I asked for your help during the Mystery train incident. I knew you could take care of yourself."

A look of guilt wrinkled the young boy's features before smoothing it out again.

"Well, that was a close call too, but you still exceeded my expectations. That time when we saved the Sunflowers, I knew I couldn't get Ran out on my own. That's why I gave her to you. I knew I could trust you to escape safely, with her as well."

Yes, Kaito remembered that. Stupid Tantei-kun almost killed himself with that stunt. Conan threw more sticks onto the fire.

"This time though, I didn't have faith in your ability to take care of yourself. What if you didn't wake up when you hit the water? What if your assistant wasn't here at this heist and you didn't have anyone looking after you? I couldn't take the chance. So I jumped."

Kaito stared at the detective in front of him. He had misjudged Tantei-kun yet again. Warmth and gratitude spread throughout the thief's chest. The fact that he had any sort of semblance of trust in the thief at all was surprising but appreciated; with the amount of time they had worked together on some cases, there had to be some level of trust, but this was different.

Tantei-kun had given him the best compliment in the world. In saying such a thing, it had showed Kaito that Conan did care about him, detective/thief status aside, and that was a wonderful feeling. Conan had faith in his abilities, setting expectations on the thief that no other would even think of. Conan gave the expectations of a difficult impossible miracle, something to boggle his mind, and of course a clean getaway. Kaito felt flattered. Conan held up a fourth finger.

"Four my body just kind of reacted. I didn't even think of the consequences of my physical stature until I was already halfway down."

Kaito chuckled. Yes he had seen the recklessness Conan had usually displayed when presented with danger; jump straight into it was usually his answer to everything. Conan raised an eyebrow.

"Answer your question?"

Kaito nodded once, smile still present.

"Thank you, it means a lot."

Conan stared for a second before shaking his head.

"Good, my turn. This is more of a statement I guess."

Kaito blinked in confusion. Conan took a deep breath, and suddenly anger crossed over his face.

"What on earth were you thinking?"

Kaito jumped, startled by the angry outburst. Usually, a seven year old angry at him wouldn't even make him bat an eyelash, unless it was that little lady he had to dress up as on the train, but Conan angry at him was a terrifying sight. He gulped as Conan continued.

"You idiot thief, why the heck would you violate the rules to the game? You said it yourself, no one gets hurt at a KID heist, and that includes you! Look at you! Shot through the shoulder, broken ribs! You are lucky you didn't puncture your lungs. I mean seriously."

Because that had irked Conan, the blatant disregard the thief had for his own life. Did the thief just not care about getting hurt or what; because it wouldn't be the first time that he did something dangerous to help others. This had been close, way too close for Conan's liking.

Kaito, realizing the boy was finished with his tirade, answered softly.

"Well, as you put it, it is my heist, and you know how my heists work. There is an entertainment, magical aspect that accompanies the stealing. Since it is my heist, it is my responsibility to make sure that everything goes smoothly and no one gets hurt. Usually it is pretty easy as preemptive measures. Traps and pranks, yes but nothing dangerous, and the only weapon I have is a card gun. However, if problems do arise, I have to take responsibility for my guests and protect them. That's why I jumped. Besides, it was a no brainer. I had bulletproof wear on; Nakamori Keibu did not."

Conan grumbled.

"Still."

Kaito replied smoothly.

"I didn't have much time to think of another plan. I just reacted. I admit, I was careless, but it won't happen again. Besides, it isn't too different from what you do."

Conan sighed.

"Fine, but please think of your safety as well as your audience's. There isn't anything worse than a ruined performance because the entertainer gets injured."

Kaito grinned.

"Aww Tantei-kun do you care about me?"

Conan folded his arms and gave Kaito a stern glare. Kaito just chuckled.

"Fine, my turn again."

His face fell slightly as this was the real question he had been looking forward to the answer.

"Why didn't you look? Or is this just a ploy while you secretly took my DNA somehow?"

Conan held up his hands.

"You can search me if you want. I washed all the blood off me, and didn't take anything else. I didn't get your fingerprints or hair or anything."

Kaito was growing even more perplexed.

"So why?"

Conan shrugged.

"I can't believe you think I am such a jerk. As if I would find out your identity when you can't even defend yourself or anything. I'm not the type to kick people when they are already down. Just think of it as another favor from me and we can call it a day."

"Still doesn't make sense."

Kaito muttered. If it was Hakuba, he would already have police cars at his house. There would have been no hesitation. Nakamori Keibu too, wouldn't have paused in pulling off the monocle and top hat, and pulling at his face, hoping it was just a trick. So why had his smallest critic given him mercy? Not only had he not looked, he had taken precautions that were extra work to keep the thief's secret a secret. A little louder he voiced his thoughts.

"Isn't that the job of a detective, to invade privacy, and to catch thieves? Isn't it in your best interest to find out my identity?"

Conan could understand KID's confusion. He didn't really fully know himself why he had taken such drastic measures to keep the thief's identity confidential. He explained as best as he could.

"I have rules too you know. For your heists."

Kaito only stared in surprise. Conan continued.

"I will try my best to figure out the trick behind your heists, as well as try to catch you and retrieve the jewel during the heists. If I catch you with the police, I can unmask you then. Once you escape, and the heist is over, I cannot try to find out your identity, and I won't try to find your civilian self."

Conan gave KID a leveled stare.

"So as you can see, you are off limits."

Kaito stared, astonishment clear in his eyes, before he smirked, drawing his cap down further over his eyes. He had no idea that Conan had rules for his heists. Now it felt like it was more of contract between the two of them, both providing conditions that they needed to meet. It was so very interesting. Most people didn't play his games; they went along with the heist rules, mostly begrudgingly, unless it was the no hurt rule. Tantei-kun not only went along with the rules, but made up his own, inserting himself into the entertainer realm of the heists along with the thief, where no one else had trod. He had made himself on equal ground as KID. This was amazing, and any debt that the little sleuth might have had was now completely gone.

He always joked about the whole favor system they had between them, but Kaito had always just seen it as allies working toward a common goal. Sure it was nice when Tantei-kun 'let him go' aka no longer interfered once the mystery was solved and jewel safely returned, but that wasn't why KID did it. He helped Tantei-kun because it usually meant saving lives, and that was one thing KID would always help with.

It still made him happy that Tantei-kun was different than anyone else that chased him, and for that he was eternally grateful. It just showed him that while Tantei-kun couldn't predict his movements, he could say the same thing about the young boy. Just when he thought he had Conan figured out, he would do something that surprised him, usually pleasantly. He didn't say anything though; no need to let Tantei-kun know just how much he appreciated the gesture.


	5. Chapter 5

**All right this is a long one, and extra fluffy. Hope you enjoy.**

 **Also, to the guest who reviewed. I didn't know that a new chapter had come out. It was quite good, however, I don't think I will use the information that it has in case others haven't read it, and I don't know what happens. I don't wish to spoil anyone. Thank you for informing me though. Anyone else, Chapter 34 of Magic Kaito is translated kind of.**

"All right, next question."

Conan gulped. This was the delicate part. He had had some time to think it over, and he had a pretty rough idea what had happened at the heist, but he had a feeling if he mentioned it under normal means, the thief would clam up and get defensive, which meant he had to go with a different tactic.

Kaito stiffened as Conan put on his cute kid face with wide curious eyes filled with innocence. He asked in a voice that was oozing nonthreatening and childishness.

"Ne KID-san?"

Kaito gave him an unimpressed look.

"No."

Conan blinked, shocked out of his little kid mode.

"I haven't asked anything yet."

Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't have to. Despite what you think, I am not an idiot. That little kid act won't make me drop my guard like other people. If you are going to ask me something, you ask it as Kudo Shinichi, not as a seven year old. Anything less than that insults both of us, you more though I think."

Conan stared for a few moments, before sighing, reverting back to his normal personality. It was true, he hated having to resort to the child like charm he had at times, however even he had to admit it had its uses. Clearing his throat, his voice dropped an octave.

"You sure are nonchalant about this Kid-san."

Kaito tensed again. Ok, still not the approach he was expecting. However, he didn't trust himself to say anything. Conan continued.

"Most people, when they get shot, have all sorts of questions. Who are they, why did I get shot, but you aren't asking anything. In fact you seem pretty ok with the fact you were shot, like you were expecting it."

Kaito snorted.

"I was not expecting to be shot Tantei-kun."

Conan leaned his elbow on his knee, and placed his chin in his hand casually.

"Then explain the presence of bullet wound treating medical supplies in your emergency aid kit. You might not have been expecting it tonight, but it is definitely there as a 'just in case' option. This means that you have been shot at before on your heists. Not to mention what you said earlier. 'I admit, I was careless, but it won't happen again', which means you expect to get shot at again, possibly by the same people."

Conan narrowed his eyes.

"Who are they KID-san, and why are they trying to kill you?"

Kaito didn't waver under the intimidating glare the boy was giving him. This was the question he was preparing for. Tantei-kun was not the type of person to let any criminal slide, especially a dangerous one like that. The mystery would definitely pique his interest and he would of course go snooping, trying to bring them to justice. It was just his nature, no matter if the criminal was a simple phantom thief, or a terrorist hijacking an airship. The threat and level of danger never deterred him. KID didn't want him to though. This was dangerous stuff, things that would for sure get the mini detective in trouble. He was used to going after these people, alone, and he meant to keep it that way. He waved the question away.

"Who said anything about me? They were aiming at Nakamori Keibu, not me, and then when they did shoot me, they shot me because of my disguise. They had no idea that I was the thief. It was just an indiscriminate police shooting, some criminal trying to take out a few officers."

Conan sighed, shaking his head almost in disappointment at the easily seen through lie.

"That brings me to another point. No criminal would start a shootout with the police there, unless they were dumber than a bag of rocks, or very confident in their abilities. Also, if it was an indiscriminate shooting, they would have shot more of the officers, instead they shot twice, and at the same target essentially."

Conan's glasses glared as he stared at the phantom thief.

"They knew you, and your heist rules. They knew you wouldn't let anyone get hurt. That's why they used the laser scope, to lure you into a trap. If they really wanted Nakamori Kaibu dead, they would have just shot a bullet through his brain. They knew you would jump in the way if you had an inkling of Nakamori getting hurt. Once you had blown your cover it would have been easy to shoot you again."

Conan looked down into the fire, hand curling around his chin into his standard thinking position as he mused aloud.

"Whoever they are, they have attended your heists before, or have researched you enough to know about such rules. Such investment means they have been on your case for a while at least and this is the first time I am guessing they have made such a bold move. I have never heard of shooting at a KID heist before, which means that they never did anything with the media or police there, maybe trying after you had already escaped. The fact they did it tonight means you either did something especially bad to tick them off, or you are doing something they don't want you to. Then of course there is the thing about shooting in the presence of the police in the first place. I doubt that someone was stupid, which leads to the other option that they are confident, or powerful. The sniping was definitely professionally done, which leads to the question on if there was more than one. Are you dealing with an individual, or a group of people? I am guessing a group."

Conan looked back up at the thief.

"Sound right so far?"

Kaito didn't answer. He just shook his head in amazement. Tantei-kun never ceased to impress him. He shrugged.

"I don't know Tantei-kun. I believe you are forgetting I am a criminal. Being one means enemies constantly. The criminal underworld is a scary place, and even Phantom Thieves get targeted by hit men and other unsavory individuals. It's nothing I can't handle."

Conan's eyebrows shot toward his hairline as his eyes dropped to the bandaged shoulder.

"You call this handling it?"

KID nodded, affirming what he said earlier.

"I am not dead, and I was careless."

Conan narrowed his eyes.

"Is this another incident where you saw robbers' faces or something?"

Kaito rolled his eyes at the reference to the case where he dressed up as Hakuba and led Conan and Hattori through the investigation. That was interesting and a pain at the same time; at least he was lucky that they were amateurs. This was different.

"No, I didn't do anything like that."

Conan studied him for a second.

"You haven't answered my question."

Kaito switched over to English, using a standard police phrase that he was sure the sleuth knew.

"Need not to know."

Conan raised one eyebrow.

"Yes I do."

Kaito shook his head.

"Promise you that you don't."

Conan frowned deeply. Why wasn't KID telling him? It would be different if the thief didn't know his abilities, but he had seen, and helped, him take down baddies before. What was so different about these? Wait a second…all of these things seemed awfully familiar. Professional snipers, covert involvement in criminal activity like shadows that weren't really there that left no trace, a distinct need of tying up loose ends, and a person lying to people that wanted to help. Oh God, Kid wasn't fighting the Black Organization was he? Conan gulped and voiced his thoughts softly.

"It's not an organization is it?"

Kaito didn't mean to flinch, really didn't. It happened anyway. The mere mention of it, outside of him talking with Jii sounded so foreign to his ears. The one time his poker face failed him was when he had needed it the most. Conan gasped softly, eyes widening in terror.

"Wait, seriously?"

Kaito held up his hands in an attempt to pacify the shrunken detective. Of course he would jump to conclusions. From his short encounter of the criminals on the train, namely Bourbon, and the mention of another one named Vermouth, he had assumed Tantei-kun had been dealing with an organization of his own, but decided not to investigate. He had enough troubles with Snake and Spider after him occasionally. No need to add liquor on top of that.

"Relax Tantei-kun, they are not the ones I met on that train."

That only caused Conan's mouth to drop open further. Finally, some information from the thief.

"You mean there is more than one organization?"

Kaito internally face palmed. Crap this wasn't what he wanted. He forgot he was dealing with a detective, one that would dissect everything he said for any sort of info.

Conan smirked inwardly. That one sentence said that he did know his attackers, and that they were indeed an organization. This was getting interesting, really interesting. If there was another, maybe there were connections between the two. In catching KID's he could possibly catch his own. It was a lead, one he hadn't gotten in a while. His mind was now moving a mile a minute, churning out possible deductions. He didn't know about the supposed organization, but he did know KID. He knew his habits. He returned all of his jewels, which meant…

"You are looking for something specific aren't you? And they are looking for it too. That's why they are trying to kill you."

Kaito frowned. This was not how he wanted this to go. He was barely having any time to defend himself. All of his secrets were about to be exposed by this seven year old boy, well in physical terms anyway.

"This is why I dislike detectives. They strip away all secrets, exposing the truth, no matter how important it is to be kept a secret."

Conan paused in his thinking. The tone was cold, distant, like KID actually was angry at him. It was a tone he had never heard from the usually smug thief. He looked up to see KID glaring at him, looking highly displeased. Conan blinked several times, before he realized what had happened. He had accidentally reverted into interrogation mode, and had been pressuring the thief into giving away secrets he never wanted to share. It was like the whole business of Hattori finding out his identity all over again. Conan stared at the ground, looking sheepish.

"Sorry, got carried away."

KID didn't answer, not moving. He didn't know what to do now. He had to wait for Conan to make the next move. Conan swallowed hard before muttering.

"You aren't going to tell me anything, are you?"

KID shook his head, relaxing slightly now that the pressure wasn't as intense and the detective had backed off slightly.

"Not unless it is unintentional."

Conan finally looked back up at him. KID gave him a neutral glance. The coldness was gone, and that was a relief.

"Why? You know I can help."

Kaito sighed. As he thought, the little detective was already making plans to help him. He didn't want it, or need it for that matter. Well, tonight was a special case, but he could take care of himself on normal days. He had just assumed that Snake and his cronies wouldn't take such drastic measures, a mistake he wouldn't make again. Although, if there was anyone that would understand his unwillingness to allow other people on this very slippery slope that could possibly lead to death, or worse, it would be Tantei-kun. The detective and him were more alike than he had first realized, and even though their occupations were different, their circumstances were far too similar. Double lives, fighting an evil no one else knew about, and lies, so many lies. It made him sympathize deeply with the detective. Maybe, if he explained…

"Oh, like you want Ran-chan to help you?"

Conan flinched. Kaito continued smoothly.

"Or Hattori? Or any of your other friends? Most of them are well qualified to take care of themselves, yet you don't tell them anything, or in the case of Hattori, since I suspect he knows your secret, not everything."

Kaito leaned forward, meeting Conan's gaze evenly.

"You know why I won't tell you anything. You know how those kinds of people operate."

Conan shuddered at the thought. Telling Ran his secret? Yes she had karate, but karate and guns usually didn't mix. Yes, he understood all too well what it was like to have to keep friends and people that he cared about in the dark, having to give just enough info for them not to worry, but keeping a lot of things to himself. The struggles of giving protection to the unsuspecting was a heavy burden. He had no idea KID was going through the same thing. However there was one hole in his logic.

"Fine, do you have any allies?"

Kaito shook his head. Only Jii and his mother knew about the organization. Jii helped prepare tricks and help him with a swift getaway, but his mom usually was overseas and couldn't help. Conan's face softened sympathetically.

"Even I have help. The FBI has proven to be a great ally that has helped me in my own chase. You also seem to forget I am quite used to taking down criminals, organization or otherwise. I know that fighting alone is a whole lot worse than fighting with a trustworthy group. I can help. You know it. You just won't ask."

Kaito tsked in displeasure.

"I want to do it myself. I want to bring them to justice on my own."

Conan paused. The conviction behind his words…was is possible the fight between him and this other organization was personal? If so, he wasn't exactly the type to back down from a criminal, but he could definitely understand wanting a fight that was personal to be his and his alone. He wanted nothing more than to catch Gin, Vodka, and Vermouth himself; even though he knew many others held grudges against them. He relented slightly.

"Can you at least warn me if they are going to show up at heists? So something like tonight doesn't happen again?"

Kaito's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He didn't expect the detective would back down, instead strong arming his way into helping in his usual nosy way. Huh, what do you know? Miracles do happen. Kaito smirked, finally looking like his normal self, and he didn't miss how Conan relaxed with him.

"Oh, how do you suggest I do that?"

Conan frowned slightly, before his face brightened.

"Your notices. On your caricature, put a small dot in the monocle. Most people will assume that it is just you drawing your eye, but it will actually have a meaning that there might be snipers at the heist. I can warn Nakamori Keibu discreetly and we can be ready for them. He will be more wary now that he knows of their existence."

KID smirk grew fractionally, getting the reference of Scorpion.

"What if people think it is a fake because they think someone copied the caricature?"

Conan nodded.

"Only the people that need to know will understand. It will be fine. I just want to be prepared so we can prevent unneeded casualties. Don't you agree?"

Kaito leaned into his chin into his hand.

"You are still going to investigate, aren't you?"

Conan gave a gleeful grin.

"Of course. However, I will be extra careful. If I come up with more information, I could possibly give it to you. Don't know how but I can. I will try my best to investigate them, and not you in the process."

Kaito sighed. Of course he wasn't able to deter the detective completely, but maybe this…this might not be so bad. He had mixed feelings about this arrangement. For one he was apprehensive; if he was going down he didn't want to drag another down with him. He already had the Nakamori's and Jii as a flight risk. He couldn't possibly add another. However, on the other hand, he felt relieved. It felt…good to confide in someone, not all of his secrets surely, but to have someone else bear the burden and such a reliable person at that. He cleared his throat, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

"Fine, but a word of advice Tantei-kun. Don't get your plate too full. You have your own problems before the ones that deal with me, namely fighting your own organization, keeping secrets from your girlfriend and other friends, as well as dealing with dead bodies on a daily basis, all in a kid's body. Don't overextend yourself trying to fight my problems as well as yours."

Conan nodded in agreement. He already put himself in danger on a daily basis, and to be honest he didn't need the extra target on his back. But he wasn't about to just sit back and do nothing, especially now that he knew about it and definitely not when it was a certain magical thief. No one should fight the darkness of the world alone.

"I won't seek them out if that's what you're asking. I will only try to catch or chase them after heists, not in my daily life. It will be a side operation, but not a main priority. I am thinking that if there are two organizations though, they might be connected somehow, so maybe getting a lead on yours will help lead me to bringing down my own. I promise I won't do anything too dangerous."

Kaito smiled a genuine smile, one that held no smugness or underlying motives. That was enough for him. Kaito leaned back slightly, looking up at the full moon.

"Then I suppose there is only one more mystery for tonight that needs to be answered."

Conan looked confused.

"What else is there?"

Kaito's indigo eyes held onto Conan's cerulean ones with a mesmerizing stare.

"Why do you care so much?"

He expected the answer that he previously gave, that it was a detective's duty and all, but he was not expecting the answer out of Conan's mouth.

"Because they messed up your heist."

Conan noticed the thief's confusion. He could give excuses like his previous answers, but no, the thief needed to understand. He sighed.

"Do you know how many dead bodies I come across? No, how many cases I come across? There are kidnappings, bomb threats, murder, robberies where they aren't phantom thieves and use real guns and real bullets and hostages. I come across one every day or so."

Kaito watched the miniature detective silently, letting him speak. This seemed like this was something deep and personal for the detective, like he was baring his soul to the thief, and Kaito couldn't interrupt that.

"Your heists are the one place that I can go to have fun. I can have the thrill of the challenge, whether it is simply trying to catch you, or just to figure out your trick. I can act like myself for once. I can be Kudo Shinichi, not Edogawa Conan. I can pit my entire intelligence against a person that is not afraid to deal blows back, one that will treat me as an equal, not a child. Most importantly though, it is a place that I know that underneath the harmless entertainment, that no dead bodies will show up. That one time with the painting was different, but I can actually solve a mystery without someone's life in danger or someone possibly getting hurt in the process. Your heists are sacred ground, where your no injury policy is supreme."

Conan frowned.

"It sounds selfish when I put it like that, that I just want to keep the one time that I have free of corpses the way it is. Now these people are threatening my last place that I thought I was safe. I can't possibly let them get away with that. I don't know what I would do if the way I found out your identity was because I was investigating your murder during a heist. Just because you are a thief, and my rival, doesn't mean I want you dead. Do you know how scared I was when you got shot? It definitely wasn't a pleasant feeling; it was more like I saw someone I cared about get almost killed. I hate that feeling."

Conan took a deep breath. Feelings and emotions were hard for him. Like seriously, it took him over ten years to confess to Ran. This was nothing like that, but it still made him nervous. KID would probably tease him mercilessly about this later, but he had to understand how he felt about him.

"I have always enjoyed your heists. You have never treated me like a normal seven year old, even before you knew my real identity. You actually presented me with magic that not only impressed me, but challenged my mind, which rarely happens with magicians. Not to mention you are a criminal, but I have never seen you as such. Yes you steal, but I doubt it is for a petty reason, and my theory was only proven tonight. You wouldn't risk your life unless it was worth it."

Conan stared straight at the thief, not daring to look away as a sign of weakness.

"Despite your illegal activities, all of your motives and actions have been…good. Your unorthodox ways of being a criminal give me a break from the darkness I deal with day in and day out. You return all you steal, you often help the police uncover a worse culprit, you have no problem in lending a helping hand for the smallest of reasons, from rescuing a dog in a safe, to pretending to be the bad guy during the whole sunflowers incident just to try to stop the real criminal, and even confronting Scorpion about the memory egg. You are always saving my life and lead me to the right answers on several cases. Your intelligence is something that rivals my own, and it presents great challenges in the chases. Your unpredictability also gives my mind practice for trying to catch criminals. You could say you have made me into a better detective. Sure you can be slightly irritating, and I definitely hate it when you try to flirt with Ran, using my face no less, but overall you are a great guy."

Conan cocked his head.

"In fact, I don't know what to classify you as. We aren't enemies, because we obviously work well together, but friends don't knock each other out with stun guns and kick soccer balls at them at fifty miles per hour. We have been through too many meetings, especially life or death situations to be called acquaintances."

Kaito sat still for a moment, trying to digest everything that Conan, no Kudo Shinichi had said to him. The Meitantei of the century was praising him. It was not simple flattery either, nothing fake, this was full-blown admiration and respect for the Phantom thief. He had been incorrect to assume that detective despised him, only after his identity and to put him behind bars. This critic was certainly different from all the rest, but that was probably why he was his favorite. Since he was telling his secrets, he might as well spill his own.

"I always considered you a rival, but also an ally. You aren't the only one though, not knowing what to call our…unique relationship."

Conan looked like KID was going to tease him at any moment, but Kaito wouldn't. Not over something like this. Maybe later, after Conan also had blackmail material on him.

"I enjoy you coming to my heists too. Even during the clock tower, I have never had such an opposition before. You have always been the one to keep up with me the most out of all of the critics that I have, and you are definitely the most interesting. Do you know why?"

Conan blinked in surprise. He didn't expect KID to get all serious on him; he expecting more taunting like normal. It seemed the thief actually took what he said to heart. He shook his head. Kaito grinned holding out his hands.

"Remember, I am a magician before I am a thief, and a magician is never without an audience."

A rose winked into existence in his hand with a twirl of the wrist. Conan rolled his eyes. Always the showoff. Kaito smirked as he continued his explanation, causing more items to magically teleport into his hands.

"A good ninety percent of an audience is consisted of people who want to be tricked, deceived, and will take the show as actual magic. They enjoy the trick, wondering how the magician does it but not trying to figure it out. These audience members are easy to please, a few simple tricks and they are entertained. However, I am Kaitou KID. I don't do simple tricks. While it is fun, it doesn't exactly present a challenge."

Unless it was Aoko. He would never get tired of showing even the most mundane tricks to her. He wasn't going to tell Conan that though. He sighed, making all of the items disappear, but procured a deck of cards. He started shuffling them between his fingers, spinning them into different stacks with precision and skill, his injured shoulder only deterring him slightly.

"Then there is the other 9.9 percent. They are trying to expose the trick. They want to see how the magician works his magic. However, once they find out about the trick, their excitement fades. Now that they know the trick, it is no longer magic. They aren't entertained anymore and they usually get bored, and the last thing I want is a bored audience member."

He flicked the cards up and down separating them by suits, before shuffling back up again, almost absentmindedly, like it was second nature. Conan was busy watching the display, impressed slightly. Kaito smirked.

"Then the other .1 percent. You. You are different from the rest. It was fantastic; I had never met another one like you. You search for the secret behind the trick, which puts you in the latter category, however your excitement and enthusiasm isn't due to the trick itself. It is figuring the trick out. While others after finding out the trick get bored, you only get more excited and are impressed with it. That is where you find your enjoyment, and seeing that smug smirk on your face when you finally figure it out is worth more than a hundred normal KID fans."

Kaito flipped the cards into nonexistence before pulling out a Rubik's cube. He started flicking through the sides, hands always busy as he clumped colors together.

"It gives me a challenge, and not to mention even though you say you hate magic, it isn't true. You do have an appreciation for magic, unlike the rest of my critics. The police force, Nakamori Keibu, for example have no appreciation for my magic. They see it as a barrier to cross in catching me, a nuisance. Not to mention, tricking Nakamori Keibu is a walk in the park. Hakuba too hates my magic. He is closer to you, in that he can kind of keep up with me and avoid the tricks, but he mostly doesn't try to figure them out, just focuses on catching me. He sees me as a thief, not a magician. He is seriously the biggest stick in the mud I have ever met."

Kaito, finally looked up, his indigo eyes sparkling with appreciation as he nodded to his smallest critic.

"Not you though. For you, not only do I have to trick you, I have to impress you, which is a herculean feat I promise. Do you know how hard it is to confuse a genius? You appreciate magic, but only if it is so wild and impossible that completely boggles your mind, and gives you a challenge to figure out. That's why whenever I hear of old man Suzuki giving me a challenge, I always go all out, because I know you will be there. I have to create the best magic show you have ever seen, because you set high standards, and whenever I see that you are stumped, and then whenever you figure it out, it gives me great pleasure. You are my favorite audience member."

Conan stared at him in disbelief. He had no idea the thief thought of him like that. He always thought that annoying was the one adjective KID would use to describe him, yet here the he was, saying that he enjoyed his presence at his heists. Even though he tried his best to not only catch the elusive criminal, but to also tear whatever plans he had to shreds.

"I thought you hated the way I interfered at your heists."

Kaito's smirk fell into a frown.

"Yes, sometimes you are quite irritating, especially when I am so close to getting away without any problems."

Then he brightened again.

"But it is necessary."

Conan blinked in confusion.

"Necessary?"

Kaito nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, you are also my favorite critic because you help tremendously. You actually live up to your name as a critic. You constantly give me constructive criticism. Whenever you explain how I do a trick to me, I see how I can improve its delivery and see different ways for me to cover it up to make the trick harder to figure out. Whenever you point out a flaw in my disguise, I take note of it so I don't make the same mistake later. The most recent one would be, note to self, check the gender before putting on the disguise."

Conan smirked as he remembered the blush mermaid heist. He still wished he had gotten that on camera.

"That was one heck of a kick."

KID rubbed his cheek.

"I can still feel it sometimes."

He grew serious again.

"Seriously though, you help me more than hinder me. Even when you do mess up my plans, it is a teaching moment of something that I did wrong, and it definitely teaches me to be flexible and make extra plans to counter your interference. You have made me a better thief."

Yes, now that Conan thought about it, KID always asked after his heists how he figured it out, or how he knew who he was. Was this the thief's way of getting criticism from his critics? He supposed it was. Now with this new information, it now made sense. They did have a unique relationship. Both sought to one up the other, but both also relied on each other to improve their abilities. They motivated each other to be better, to improve on their skills, and both had fun while doing it. Kaito finally set aside the finished Rubik's cube.

"And for the record, I team up with you because I want to, not because of favors, although it is nice for you not to hand me over to the police or kick demon soccer balls at me. It's fun to work alongside you for a change, changing enemy into partner. Usually there are people's lives on the line or it is for a good reason like proving my innocence, so of course I am going to help. I couldn't think of a more trustworthy ally in a fight against other criminals. I know that despite everything, you would have my back."

Conan's blue eyes were glued to the fire. The thief trusted him. He hadn't expected KID to understand his sentiment toward him, but now that he thought about it, it was always there, he had just never bothered to look. The way KID looked at him, not only was it as not a seven year old, but it was as equals, a deep mutual respect between thief and detective. Conan smirked, bowing his head to hide his eyes that he felt held some emotion the phantom thief would make fun of.

"Thank you. I didn't expect a compliment from you tonight either. How did we get this so convoluted?"

Kaito shrugged, pulling the jewel over with one hand. He easily held it up to the moon, giving a silent sigh at the lack of the red gem inside.

"Since when do we do things the simple way? It's no fun that way."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, both contemplating what the other had said about them. They had an understanding, both, as Kaito had said in a previous heists, were two sides of the same coin. They were in similar situations, had similar abilities, and as such, both were inexplicably drawn to each other. They both came to the conclusion at roughly the same time they would become great friends outside of their roles of detective and thief, if they could.

Conan was the first to break the silence, glancing at his watch. It was currently a little after midnight.

"I think that we should talk more in the morning. Right now, you should sleep."

Kaito wasn't complaining; he had stayed up most of the night before preparing for the heist tonight, and the painkillers seemed to be doing their job by making him a little drowsy. He hid a yawn though.

"What about you? Are you going to sleep?"

Conan flicked his hand in a semi wave.

"Are you kidding? I am keeping watch. With my luck, the only serial murderer, kidnapper, or any other criminal in these woods are going to find us. I will stay up and wake you in a few hours."

Kaito raised his eyebrows as he teased lightly.

"Isn't it way past a little boy's bedtime?"

Click, Conan flicked up his watch cover, one eyebrow raised.

"You are injured and need it more than I do. Go to sleep, unless you need some help?"

Kaito nodded obediently and took the police disguise from earlier and placed it under his head as a pillow, pulling the hat down over his eyes. He had thought that sleeping near an awake detective would keep him up a little bit, but it seemed his body had already decided to count Tantei-kun as nonthreatening, trusting him not to take off his disguise, and within a few minutes he was sound asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! Hope you all are having a good day.**

Conan finally relaxed when KID's breathing evened out into normal sleep patterns. He was afraid the thief would refuse, but he was worried about his injuries. He needed rest if he wanted to replenish his blood supply, and take the right step on the road to healing in general. That wasn't the only reason though. He also wanted to go over all the information KID had given him and make new deductions.

He leaned back against a tree with a sigh, closing his eyes for a few moments. He had promised he wouldn't try to investigate the thief, but that didn't mean he could come up with his own sources of information. Maybe he could ask the FBI if they had dealt with this organization as well. He could probably ask Agasa Hakase to look through his father's old files too. He had had a whole case file on Kaitou KID; surely he had something on these mysterious criminals. His father was more observant then him, and he was sure that if they had attacked before his father would have some notes on them. First to review the entire conversation he had had with the thief and then focus on those plans for heists…

Conan spent the next few hours thinking, hand glued to his chin and just staring into the fire, taking a break every so often to add fuel to the fire, or look around to make sure no one was out in the darkness. He completely ignored the thief sleeping soundly across the fire from him as his brain fixated on the goal at hand, producing plan after plan, strategy after strategy against this new threat. It was nothing he wasn't used to. This was a whole lot easier than having to orchestrate movements on the spot with his previous encounters with his own organization. Those people usually meant having less than a day to plot something, yet this organization was nice and gave him days, if not weeks in advance to map everything out. He needed to commission Agasa Hakase for a few new inventions, namely things that allowed him to see and fight in the dark better, as most of KID's heists were at night.

It was around 5:30 when he finally started to feel the effects of staying up all night. He yawned, rolling his shoulders back. This was common; during cases, he would stay up late, trying to figure out the puzzle that had presented itself to him. His mind usually just wouldn't let him sleep, whenever on the edge of unconsciousness, it would give him a new theory to toy with. So as usual, time had slipped away from him and now he was looking at a predawn sky, wondering why it was morning.

Conan removed his glasses to rub at his eyes tiredly, glancing over at his slumbering companion. He was still sleeping deeply, not moving even a little. Conan yawned, debating. Should he just pull an all-nighter, or should he wake the thief up to take over the watch? He dismissed the idea almost immediately. It was probably better to let KID sleep as much as possible; he was injured after all.

Now where was he? Right, ways to inform Nakamori Keibu discreetly about the message in the notices. Yawn, now he needed to be careful, otherwise the organization might catch on. His normal kid act yawn wouldn't work because they already knew him as the KID killer and his reputation would make them more wary…around…him…

Conan jerked awake as he accidentally nodded off. He shook his head, glancing once more at KID, reevaluating his decision. Right, he was staying up all night. He pinched the bridge of his nose, waking up slightly. All right, back to planning.

This turned into a vicious cycle that happened every five minutes, which turned into every few seconds, with Conan always reconsidering his choice on waking KID, before dismissing it. Conan was sure his eyes were trying to glue themselves shut. He glanced one more time at the thief, before leaning back against the tree. Maybe he would just rest his eyes a few seconds, and then he would…wake up…the thief…

* * *

Kaito was used to waking up at odd hours for his, ahem, night job. He learned pretty quick how to take naps and to wake up at will at a certain time. He woke up a little later then he intended, probably his body trying to recover from his injuries, but it was still night when he awoke, but just barely. It was obvious from the sounds and from the barely perceivable change in light that it was almost dawn. Kaito barely turned his head, expecting a sleeping detective, but instead he was faced with something he wasn't expecting.

Conan was currently sitting against a tree, chin in hand, and it looked like he was pondering something. Kaito immediately shut his eyes again. Holy crap, had he been up all night? How much energy did he have? A more discreet look gave him the answer. Yes he had, and it was obvious by the almost unfocused look he was currently sporting that was so unlike him that he was minutes from falling asleep. Kaito waited patiently. He would bide his time until his critic would crash. He doubted it would take long, especially in a child's body.

Sure enough, about fifteen minutes later, he heard a soft _thump_. He waited a few seconds before cracking open an eye and bit back a fond chuckle. Conan had apparently been resting against the tree, and when he had finally fallen asleep he had slumped against it. Now though he was sprawled sideways across the roots, sleeping like the dead if the almost inaudible snores were any indication.

Kaito smirked as he fell into his other persona. KID was silent when he needed to, and had fingers with the magic touch. He sat up silently, wincing as he slowly and quietly made his way beside the pint sized detective. With thief like fingers he stole the glasses off of Conan's face, leaving behind a Kudo Shinichi, without any barrier between him and the outside word. Another swish of fabric and Conan had Kaito's previous makeshift pillow under his head and the remnants of his cape over him as a blanket. It took a few seconds but Conan finally snuggled unconsciously into the cloth, breathing easily. Kaito smiled, taking Conan's spot of leaning against the tree. It was long overdue, but he could actually take his watch now.

He stretched his legs out and sighed as he looked up at the moon that was currently sinking behind the horizon, when he suddenly felt something grab at his jeans. He stiffened slightly but when he looked down, he couldn't help the fond smile that graced his features. Conan had rolled over in his sleep, and upon finding Kaito's leg, which was warmer than the surrounding environment, was basically cuddling into his leg, hand gently clutching at the material. Kaito really wished he had a camera. He could probably tease the mini detective about this later, but then he realized it was pretty low, after all the things Conan had done for him.

Yes, he knew why Conan hadn't woken him up. He was probably worried about him; trying to make sure he got enough sleep to make sure his injuries healed by being his reckless, stupidly helpful self that ignored his own physical wellness over others. Not to mention, that pensive look on his face he saw earlier. He was already getting started with his investigation. Conan was many things, but slacker he was not. He always was on a time crunch, rushing to figure out the criminal. Of course he would get started right away with the limited info he had. It was why he was so good at his job.

Kaito gazed down at his critic with something akin to endearment. For once, Kudo Shinichi looked like he was actually seven, which almost didn't happen often, well unless it was the kid's own poker face which wasn't as nearly well-crafted as KID's, but had the same effect. Sometimes fear and his brilliance would shine through, although it wasn't like he could help it. This face though was so calm and free from the worry and stress that he had to deal with constantly. He didn't look as intense as he did at heists, and he looked infinitely more relaxed. He decided it was a nice look.

He still didn't understand how more people hadn't made the connection between the two of them. Conan was a pretty good actor, hiding behind that sickly sweet child disposition of his, but that intelligence, that fierce gaze, couldn't be mistaken with anything except a full-fledged detective, especially one that has messed up his heists as both as himself and his alter ego. It had taken him awhile, eavesdropping on several conversations and a lot of research but he had finally come to the conclusion they were one in the same, and now that he knew, it was hard to even consider they were different people.

Kaito closed his eyes as he let out a yawn. Seriously, what had happened to the great modern day Holmes? How had he turned into, well, a child? Did it have something to do with his own organization? And why was he always so paranoid? That he had such faith in his bad luck as to suggest that a criminal might find them, miles from a town, in the woods, in the middle of the night? Maybe he truly did underestimate the kid's ability to find cases everywhere.

He felt kind of bad for Tantei-kun. At least he could hang up KID's mantle after a heist, can just be Kuroba Kaito for once. He had the option of taking off his disguise; Kudo did not. He had to muddle through life, pretending to be a child for all to see, because one slipup and people would figure it out. Kaito couldn't imagine having to act like a child again, especially one as brilliant as Kudo Shinichi.

So he felt a little sorry for him. In such, he decided to allow him to sleep as long as he wanted, without pranking him or using him for blackmail. It was the least he could do. He just wanted him to relax for once in his life, not worry about an evil organization, no murderers or robbers or any other criminal after his blood. Just to sleep for now.

They stayed like that a long time as the world slowly woke up around them; Conan sleeping unaware while Kaito focused on tricks, trying to gauge which ones he could do with an almost immobile left arm. He had to be able to pull off at least simple tricks for school on Monday. He didn't know if Nakamori Keibu had connected the dots and had leaked to the media that KID had been shot. If he did, he didn't need more evidence against him. Hakuba was away, but even Aoko could put two and two together if needed to. He was sure if he just used his right hand for most of his tricks he would be ok.

It was about forty five minutes later when Conan changed abruptly. Kaito, who was juggling several red balls, paused as he heard the slight hitch of breath. He looked down at his young charge in slight concern. Was he waking up? If so he was back across the fire before the tantei beheld his, um, compromising position.

Conan's face, now no longer relaxed, was set in a grimace. The hand on Kaito's jeans tightened considerably and his entire body was tense, stiff as a board. Kaito frowned as he made the juggling balls disappear in the blink of an eye. Oh, was Tantei-kun having a dream? If he was, it didn't look like a nice one.

He was about to shake the boy awake when Conan gasped and drew back his leg, like he was trying to kick something. Kaito, knowing what was coming, scrambled to get out of the way. The foot snapped forward, hitting him in the shin and Kaito fought a grimace. Dang, even without the shoes the boy kicked like a mule. He scurried out of the way of the appendage, just in case Conan decided he needed to kick again.

He regarded the boy with caution and growing concern. This looked bad; he needed him to wake up. Slowly he crawled back over. Conan was now twitching so hard he was almost shaking as his breathing sped up like he was running, murmuring something incoherent.

"Tantei-kun, wake up."

He tried to grab the boy's shoulders but immediately Conan panicked, squirming out of his grasp. Kaito let go like he was burned. Of course, if he was being attacked by something, putting hands on him would have the averse affect.

"Tantei, wake up!"

He was sounding more desperate now but he couldn't help it. He didn't like it, seeing his favorite critic like this. The boy almost never showed fear or anything of this nature. It didn't suit Tantei-kun at all. Suddenly Conan cried out like he was in pain, clawing at the air above him.

"Conan-kun!"

Nope, his alias's name did nothing. Ok, new tactic.

"Kudo wake up. Please wake up!"

Nothing. Kaito didn't want to touch him again in case it worsened the situation. God he had never felt so helpless before. He wanted to help, but he couldn't touch him, could only yell at him to wake up. There had to be something he could do, something that would calm him down.

Suddenly, a memory.

 _Water everywhere. He was holding onto Mouri Ran. He broke the surface with a gasp. Beautiful air. Another gasp near him. "Are you ok Tantei?" Panic on the boy's face, making him look so much older, yet so much younger. "More importantly, Ran. Hang in there Ran." Swimming over, checking feverishly. "She's ok, just passed out from the water." Sweet relief and a look of pure love as a small hand gently pushed bangs out of her face._

Of course. Mouri Ran always comforted him, whether it was knowledge of her safety, or even just her presence. Kaito couldn't exactly magically transport the girl here; even he wasn't that good, but he wasn't known as a disguise expert for nothing.

Kaito swallowed hard. Tantei-kun was probably going to kill him when he awoke, but anything was better than this torture. Immediately he switched his voice to Ran's.

"Shinichi, Shinichi! Wake up!"

* * *

 _Conan laughed at something Genta said as the detective boys walked down the road toward the Mouri Detective agency. It was a normal afterschool occurrence._

" _You guys go ahead to Agasa Hakase. I will catch up later."_

 _The three normal first graders scampered off, talking about the camping trip coming up. Haibara gave him an exasperated look._

" _You sure you can go by yourself?"_

 _Conan laughed._

" _Of course. I am no normal six year old."_

 _It was just down the street, and he had walked to Hakase's house before by himself. She just rolled her eyes and continued after their small charges._

 _Conan walked up to Poirot and just happened to glance up, possibly to see Mouri Senior in his chair, watching the horse races. What he did see however caused his very heart to freeze._

 _A man, standing with his back to the window, was wearing a black trench coat, and sported long silvery blond hair._

 _Gin._

 _No, what was Gin doing there? Had he been found out? Did he need to run and tell Haibara? Oh no Ran! She was up there! She didn't have karate today._

 _Calm down, calm down. First he should check with Amuro. He slowly slid into Poirot, looking around for the tan barista. There, he was at the bar, cleaning a glass. One look was all he needed to know he was in Bourbon mode. He swallowed hard as he stepped forward. Amuro gave him an apologetic look as he discreetly drew a gun, pointing it at him._

" _Sorry Conan-kun. I need you to go upstairs."_

 _Conan by now was almost trembling with fear. Why was this happening? He fought to keep his voice under control._

" _You?"_

 _Was it you who told? Amuro glanced around, making sure there was no one watching before shaking his head slightly. Conan relaxed a little. Thank god it wasn't Bourbon. He tried again._

" _Vermouth?"_

 _Another shake of the head. Bourbon bent down, whispering._

" _Rum."_

 _Conan stiffened. How? He hadn't even met Rum yet. How had he deduced his identity? Maybe they hadn't. Maybe they were just following up on the case where he had accidentally tapped them. Every single curse word was going through his mind as Bourbon slowly led him out of the café, up the stairs to halt in front of the door. He glanced up at the PSB officer. He nodded encouragingly. Trying to get him to walk headlong into death. Swallowing hard, Shinichi squared his shoulders and walked through the door._

 _Gin was sitting at Kogoro's desk, looking as comfortable as could be, even though there was a set frown on his face. Vodka was pointing a gun at Kogoro on the couch who was restrained with ropes and gagged with duct tape, Vermouth was basically pinning Ran to the floor, pistol to her temple to keep her still. Bourbon softly closed the door with a click, effectively trapping Conan in a room with four murderers. Gin grinned evilly._

" _Finally, the guest of honor has arrived."_

 _Conan stared at the ground, not daring to look at the Mouris. He couldn't show that he cared. He also couldn't look at Gin without glaring or possibly showing fear, neither of which was good. God this was all sorts of screwed up. He just hoped Bourbon and Vermouth would protect them in his stead because at this rate he was going to die._

 _Oh God he was going to die. He hadn't even brought them down yet. Hadn't told Ran the truth._

 _The only thing he had left at his disposal now was his childish acting. Hopefully that would be enough._

" _Ah, scary men with guns. Don't hurt me."_

 _He crouched, folding hands over his head in cover. He didn't dare move to be comforted by Ran, just in case they decided to shoot. Gin laughed._

" _Not bad Edogawa Conan, or should we say Kudo Shinichi?"_

 _Conan froze, ice flooding his veins. They knew. They knew who he was. And now, so did she._

 _He turned slightly, looking at Ran who was still on the floor, who was staring at him in horror._

" _Shin…Shinichi?"_

 _He winced at the disbelief, the pain in her voice. Vodka laughed._

" _Oh, you didn't tell her? Not a very good boyfriend are you."_

 _Conan hissed through his teeth as he stood straight again. If they knew, there was no point in using his childishness._

" _What do you want?"_

 _He asked flatly. Gin was over the desk in a heartbeat. Conan instinctively pushed the ball button on his belt, ejecting the soccer ball and snapping his foot forward, aiming straight at Gin's head. The assassin dodged and the ball embedded into the wall behind him. Gin grinned as he pinned Conan by his throat into the ground, not flinching as Conan struggled, kicking and punching to get out of his grasp._

" _It took a while to remember you, but now that I look at you—"_

 _He slapped Conan, not strong, but enough to smash his signature glasses into the cabinet, leaving his face exposed. Gin leaned in close, scrutinizing him._

" _You look the same. Got the same self-righteous look in your eye. You have been screwing up our plans ever since haven't you?"_

 _Conan gritted his teeth at the man above him. If he was going down he was going down swinging. He glanced over at Vermouth, letting the pleading in his eyes be easily seen. Take care of Ran. That's all he wanted, was for her to be safe. Gin easily picked him up by his throat._

" _Well, we need to bring you back to do some tests on you. Apotoxin has never had this effect before."_

 _Conan froze in his struggling. They weren't going to kill him? Gin grinned._

" _However, these two saw our faces."_

 _He nodded to Vermouth and Vodka._

" _Kill them."_

 _Vodka cocked the pistol, silencer already in place._

" _All right Aniki."_

 _Vermouth looked disturbed at having to kill her angel, but she was cocking her gun too. Conan watched in horror as they pointed the guns at the two people that had become his family._

" _No! Stop! I will come quietly! Stop it!"_

 _No, they were going to kill Ran. Conan's fingernails scrabbled against Gin's hand, leaving angry red scratches. His blue eyes met Ran's. She was smiling at him. No, not Ran. Anything. He would do anything. Just to keep her safe. Screams bubbled up in his torso, but with Gin's grip on his throat were unable to make themselves known. Conan threw a look at Bourbon, but he seemed content to watch and not blow his cover. Vermouth smiled ruefully at him, and he even saw the apology in her eyes._

" _I will go first. Seems he cares deeply about this one."_

 _Kogoro was struggling in his bonds too, and nothing Vodka did could deter him from trying to scream at them and save his daughter._

 _The world had shrunk to just him and Ran. He couldn't look away from her beautiful eyes, only a shade more purple then his. He wanted to apologize, for everything, but she just watched him, a small forgiving smile on her face._

" _Shinichi!"_

 _No Vermouth was pulling the trigger, incrementally slow. Conan threw himself forward, desperately reaching for the love of his life. He needed to save her._

" _Shinichi."_

 _He paused. Something was wrong. What was it?_

" _Shinichi."_

 _Ran's voice. Ran was calling him._

"Shinichi!"

Conan bolted upright, panting as he surveyed his surroundings, looking for the black organization. He was greeted instead to trees, a smoldering fire, and early morning light. Bleary and confused, he blinked. He was sure he had heard Ran's voice.

"Ran?"

He questioned softly in the semi darkness. Another voice answered, not the one he was expecting, a velvety smooth tenor.

"Sorry, that was me."

Conan whipped his head to his right to see KID, lounging against the tree. There was concern and regret in his face. Conan felt surprise grace his features, before memories of the night before filtered back. He winced, before settling for an irritated frown. KID knew how he felt about him impersonating Ran. KID held up a hand in submission.

"I really am sorry, but it was the only way to wake you up."

Conan's eyes widened. Oh no, what had he done in his sleep? Kid had an unconscious hand on his shin, like it was paining him. Did he hit him, or worse, kick him? Suddenly the absence of his disguise made itself known. Conan glared at KID, asking with a tone underlying with panic and slight anger.

"Where are my glasses?"

KID produced them with a flourish of his hand. Conan snatched them out of his hand and hurriedly shoved them onto his face, taking comfort in the normality of seeing the world through the lens.

Conan took a deep calming breath. Good it was a nightmare. Not real. Ran was safe, as far as he knew. Now that he thought about it, the dream had so many discrepancies. Vermouth and Bourbon wouldn't just sit by while Ran was murdered in front of them, at least he hoped not. Still though, it felt real, so very real. It was probably his fault for thinking of the organization before he went to sleep. And now KID had just seen him have his worst nightmare he had had in a long time. Great way to start the morning.

"How long have you been up?"

The question lacked energy, and even Conan fought a wince at how tired he sounded. KID answered gently.

"About an hour."

Conan yawned as he looked at his watch. 6:30, so about forty five minutes of sleep. Kid woke up right before he fell asleep then; so no criminals had time to come and murder them. That was a positive he supposed. He was still a little tired, but was wide awake now, and would be for a while. He had worked with worse.

"You ready to go then?"

KID gave him a wide eyed stare.

"Wait what? You stayed up all night Tantei-kun."

Conan raised an eyebrow.

"I will be fine. Getting back is a priority right?"

He stood and stretched, taking the discarded empty alcohol flask.

"I will be back. Going to get some water to put out the fire."

He tottered off to the river. Kaito watched him go with concern. He couldn't possibly be serious, could he? No, he had seen Tantei-kun's stubbornness; he would carry on as if everything was fine. But gosh, he looked worn out, ragged, and it had nothing to do with the lack of sleep. He looked…defeated; nothing defeated the detective. What did he dream about? What had he seen to spurn such a reaction? What was his normal life like to have his mind create such a terrifying experience?

He watched as Conan returned, pouring water on the embers, effectively putting out the fire. He looked better now that he was more awake, but there was still that haunted look in his eye, dimmer but still there.

"Tantei-kun, I understand that we need to get back, but it honestly won't hurt for you to sleep a few more hours."

Conan shook his head, gesturing for the thief to get up.

"No I need to get back as well. Ran will be worried."

Kaito sighed inwardly as he stood and immediately felt his legs crumple and his vision blacken. He put out an arm against the tree to steady himself and immediately felt tiny hands gripping his legs, keeping him balanced. After a few seconds, his eyes decided to work again and he regained his stability.

"You ok? Can you walk?"

He didn't like the concern that was in the young boy's voice or the worry prevalent in his sapphire like eyes as he looked up at him. Easily placing his KID smirk, Kaito reassured him.

"I am fine Tantei-kun. My legs just decided to protest getting up so early."

He discreetly took two more painkillers. The pain in his arm and ribs had dissipated during the night as a dull ache, but now it had decided to return full force, maybe even double the pain from yesterday. It still wasn't enough to deter him though. He could still travel. Although, now that he thought about it…

"You know what? I think I am not fine. I think we should stay here for a couple more hours."

Conan rolled his eyes at the pathetic excuse to get him to sleep.

"Come on stupid thief. I am not falling for that."

Kaito sighed. Of course the boy would see through his attempt. Ah well.

"So you are seriously going through with this?"

Kaito looked down and was surprised to see the uneasy paranoia in Conan's eyes. Was something wrong? Conan nodded determinedly as he clicked his glasses and started walking off in between the trees.

"Yes, you need better medical attention and I… I need to check on some things."

Kaito followed and winced as his entire body gave complaints of moving.

"Tantei-kun, you don't actually believe that dream was true right?"

Ah, so the dream was bothering him. The boy had stiffened considerably and had paused in his walking. Conan took a deep breath and answered quietly.

"It could happen, and I am not the type to take chances. I need it for my sanity at least."

The last time he had had a dream with the black organization, Irish had found out his identity. He didn't believe in prophetic dreams per say, but he didn't want to leave things to chance, especially from several past experiences. No, he wouldn't be able to sleep again until he checked on Haibara, Agasa Hakase, Subaru, and maybe check in with Jodie and Amuro, make sure no one was making moves. He had to be suspicious; one small incident could cause the deaths of everyone around him. It was the disadvantages of being on the run from a giant evil crime syndicate.

Kaito just decided to leave it at that, even though he didn't agree with it. Silently he followed the young detective further into the woods, towards Beika.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! Hope everyone is having a good day. Enjoy!**

They walked in silence for almost an hour, trudging through the shrubs and in between trunks of trees in a careful straight line. Conan was busy using his glasses to find their way, and Kaito was busy trying to figure out a way to ask if Conan was all right. Finally, Kaito spoke.

"Tantei-kun, are you sure you are ok?"

Conan glanced back at him, face and voice completely serious.

"I am fine KID, don't worry about it."

Kaito frowned.

"Does that happen often?"

He could imagine it with the amount of danger and real life threat the boy constantly had whirling around him. Did he have realistic nightmares like this every night? Was that why he was so paranoid as he saw his dreams and reality mix? It wouldn't be hard, especially for a genius like Conan to make up the most detailed and realistic dreams, with his ability to remember the smallest details from a crime scene. Was this something that he struggled with constantly? He saw the minute stiffening in the boy's shoulders as he understood what he was referring to. He sighed tiredly.

"No, not often, which is surprising, considering the amount of dead bodies I deal with."

Kaito relaxed slightly. So Conan wasn't exactly fine, but a nightmare was a nightmare, and he knew Conan wouldn't let it get him down for long. That's just how the boy was. It did comfort him that this wasn't normal. Good; Conan didn't need that. Now though another thought was trying to push its way into his mind.

"Are you sure you are ok though?"

Conan gave him an annoyed glance.

"I just said I was."

"Not with that. I mean sleep wise. I mean you look terrible."

That was true at least. Now that the mental problems had been neutralized, now Kaito was worried about the physical problems. Dark circles were currently forming under the blue eyes usually bright with focus, though now they were hazy with exhaustion. Kaito wasn't exactly a doctor, but he knew children, shrunken teenagers or not, needed sleep. Conan yawned in answer.

"It's all right, nothing I am not used to."

Kaito wasn't entirely convinced. This looked more than one night's worth of sleep damage.

"Did you not sleep the night before last by any chance?"

Bingo, as Conan whirled around, giving him a smirk.

"Well well Kaitou KID-san, we will turn you into a detective yet."

Kaito shuddered inwardly at the implication. Him as a detective…well he could do worse he supposed, but something about joining the 'enemy' force gave him an unpleasant feeling.

"What happened the night before last?"

Conan rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he tramped sideways, skirting a bush.

"What always happens. Murder case at the place we decided to eat dinner at. The murderer was really efficient and cleaned up his tracks well. It took me a while to figure him out, and by the time the police had finished collecting statements, evidence and everything it was about two in the morning. We didn't get back home until three because it was in a different chome, and I had to wake up at six for school. Then after school I wanted to come to your heist so I did homework and had to do a whole lot of begging for Kogoro to get me to go. He dropped me off, and Nakamori Keibu was supposed to bring me home, but then everything else happened."

Kaito fought the urge to groan in frustration. Did Conan really not take care of himself?

"What possessed you to come to one of my heists when you were running on three hours of sleep?"

Conan scoffed.

"I needed to relax. Your heists don't happen that often. Besides, you have no room to complain. Just imagine if I wasn't there."

An excellent point. If Conan hadn't been there, he would have been at the bottom of the river, or bled out, or shot even more. Yeah, a great picture that painted. Although he was touched that the boy detective would forgo sleep just to come to his heists. Conan waved a hand in a dismissive gesture.

"Also, I will have you know, hauling your body out of the river wasn't exactly a walk in the park either. That was exhausting."

Kaito teased gently.

"You could have left me in there. Then think, you wouldn't have to deal with me teasing you anymore."

Conan gave him a deadpan look.

"I thought we already had this talk."

Kaito smirked in response. Conan shook his head in exasperation, before continuing.

"Honestly, it's ok. It's part of a detective's job description."

Kaito sighed.

"I honestly don't know how you detectives do it. I enjoy sleep personally, and I plan my heists so I know what I sign up for. It must be really hard getting case after case at odd hours all the time, losing sleep and time to eat and time to yourselves. You don't plan for people to get murdered after all. I mean Hakuba sometimes comes in exhausted pulling all ni—"

He was interrupted by Conan letting out a yell, practically shoving his hands in his ears.

"AHH! Shut up!"

Kaito's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

Conan gave him an accusatory glare, tentatively removing his hands from his ears.

"Are you doing that on purpose? Trying to annoy the crap out of me? I mean seriously."

That only furthered his bewilderment. What exactly had he done? Conan hissed.

"Stop giving me hints about your identity!"

Kaito froze as he realized he unintentionally given information about himself. Crap, once again he forgot, this was a _detective._ He needed to watch his mouth. Conan could easily figure out just from that sentence that he could know Hakuba well enough to see on a daily basis, which usually meant the police department, which was highly unlikely, or high school. That at least narrowed it down from every teenager in Japan to about two to three hundred students. It would be ridiculously easy for Conan to snoop around for Hakuba's high school, or even ask Hakuba himself if he knew any Kudo Shinichi lookalikes. Darn it. Conan ranted.

"Do you honestly realize how hard you are making this? Jeez I swear you idiot thief."

He slammed his poker face in place as he smiled cheerfully.

"I meant at heists Tantei-kun. He comes to a lot of them while he is in Japan and he looks exhausted when he comes. I always make sure to give him an extra strong sleeping gas bomb so he gets the rest he needs. That is all I meant. Don't read too much into what I say."

Conan narrowed his eyes at him.

"Really?"

Kaito nodded.

"Yes, but why are you so angry?"

Conan grumbled.

"I did a lot to keep your identity a secret, but you are giving yourself away."

He paused, thinking, before turning back to look at the thief.

"You do magic right?"

Kaito nodded. Conan gestured with his hands.

"Think of it this way. I showed you the greatest magic trick you have ever seen, but you can't figure it out or it would spoil the trick for you. Does that make sense?"

Kaito smiled at the reference to something he would comprehend. Yes, he could understand that. It would be so difficult to do, now that he saw it from Conan's perspective. Gosh, that would be frustrating, no wonder Conan was peeved. Not to mention, Conan had basically just told him he was the greatest mystery he had ever come across, and that finding out his identity would mess it up. He laughed inwardly, but outside he apologized.

"I am sorry Tantei-kun. I will watch my language from now on. Although, how can you tell if I am lying or not?"

Conan shrugged.

"Fair point, but I would be appreciative if you didn't make my decision to not find out your identity any harder than it already is."

Kaito bowed, tipping his hat.

"Of course dear Tantei-kun. Your wish is my command."

Conan rolled his eyes. Why was KID such a showoff? He continued.

"To answer your previous comment on how we do things, it is quite simple. I won't say that coming across corpses on a daily basis is fun, but the process of finding the clues left by the culprit, cornering them, giving a deduction that might or might not be true is pleasurable. There is nothing quite like that feeling."

As he talked his tone became more animated and passionate and his face held unbridled excitement. Kaito smiled warmly as Kudo Shinichi positively gushed, looking for all the world like a child describing his favorite activity to an adult.

"There is nothing better than a good mystery, and solving it, even with the slight possibility you are wrong, even with the complicated puzzles and tricks, is the best feeling in the world. The thrill of it is just so addicting! I love my job. I get to bring criminals to justice, and I get to figure out difficult mysteries. People look at you differently; they are amazed when you give such confident deductions. It is the best."

Conan gave him a sidelong glance.

"Don't you also feel that rush as a thief? I can't say that you don't enjoy holding heists."

KID grinned his signature grin. Yes, the adrenaline running through his veins as he pulled off tricks, running from the police and occasionally detectives, the thrill of it all was addicting. He liked his job, even though he knew he couldn't do it forever.

"Of course I do. There is a distinct delight in baffling minds and the thrilling chase. Although, I didn't know your job gave you the same feeling."

Conan smirked.

"Yes, it does."

They continued to walk through the forest toward their destination. The going was slow, with Kaito almost in constant pain, but Conan was patient and stayed right by the thief's side, ready to steady him if he fumbled and tripped. The pair slowly but surely made progress. They mostly made small talk, talking of small insignificant things in both of their lives, with Kaito sometimes lying about his personal life to throw the detective off the scent. He mostly was the one asking the questions, trying to figure out about his rival's life, and Conan made no move to question, aka interrogate him about his life, which Kaito appreciated. He had known about Kudo Shinichi, or Edogawa Conan through their brief encounters and research, but it was quite different straight from the person's mouth.

He made sure to ask about those pesky detective boys. He had grown quite fond of them during the time they spent together that island with the fake jewel manufacturers. He could see how they helped with Conan's sanity too, even though he disliked him turning them into mini detectives like him. Conan answered all of his questions with ease, filling the comfortable atmosphere between them as they trekked along.

Suddenly, Conan stopped, straightening as he looked around. Then Kaito felt it too. Eyes; someone was watching them.

A second later a bullet burrowed into the tree right behind Conan, missing his head by only a few inches.

Kaito reacted instinctively. Pain forgotten, he reached forward, yanking Conan, who had turned toward the threat, back against his chest with both of his arms as he crouched behind a large tree that he had been behind. He embraced the small detective firmly against him as he glanced from side to side, trying to find the assailant. He couldn't believe it; the boy had jinxed them. He muttered.

"Geez you honestly weren't kidding. A murderer did find us."

Conan wriggled in his arms, trying to escape as he protested indignantly.

"Of course they did, I told you any criminal in these woods would find us. Now let me go."

Kaito only tightened his grasp. He knew what would happen if he did let the boy go; Conan would run out of the hiding place, ball out and ready to kick, only to get shot through the head.

"So you can go out there and get shot? Not happening Tantei-kun."

Conan's squirming increased.

"I would not sprint out there and get shot."

"Don't even try lying Tantei-kun, you and I both know what you would do."

Conan relaxed with a heavy sigh, folding into KID's stomach.

"Fine, I won't. Will you let me go now?"

Kaito leaned out from behind the tree slightly, trying to get a lock on the shooter. There, about one hundred meters away. He only saw a glimpse of the man before the gunshot made him draw back, the bullet again hitting the tree behind them.

"Did you see him Tantei?"

He loosened his grip and Conan crawled out of his arms, looking thoroughly grumpy instead of fearful, like any normal child. It was actually kind of amazing how quickly he had accepted the situation. What did that indicate about his every day to day life though? This seemed like a normal occurrence.

"Yeah, I think he is part of that robber gang that robbed a bank in Beika a few days ago. They haven't been caught yet."

Kaito fought a groan. And of course with Conan's luck they had stumbled across them when they were living on the lam. Fantastic; he would never again doubt Conan's trouble attracting ability. He had thought his own good luck would cancel out, but apparently no dice.

"So what do we do?"

An injured international phantom thief with a no harm policy and a seven year old boy against an unknown amount of real criminals with at least one gun; the odds weren't exactly in their favor. Conan gave him a hard glance, obviously thinking up a plan. Kaito was about to suggest that he use a sleeping bomb he had in his KID regalia when Conan shoved something small into his hands.

"Hold onto this transmitter for me, and give me one of those communication things you have."

Kaito instantly figured out the plan.

"You want to split up!"

He hissed. The transmitter would allow Conan to find him again, while the communication device would allow them to talk to each other when they were separated. Conan countered instantly.

"There is no time! He is coming this way and as far as I know he only saw me. There might be more than one. Splitting up is the only option."

Kaito shook his head vehemently. No, this would put the detective in danger.

"Pretty sure he saw me too. Why don't you use one of your hellish soccer balls?"

Conan fingered his ball belt regretfully.

"The only soccer ball I have is not meant to be kicked at humans."

The only one he had left was the firework one, and that would definitely not be good as it could possibly injury the man more than normal broken nose that usually accompanied his soccer balls, as well as alert his allies of their location. He only had his watch, but if there was more than one that would be more negative than positive as he would lose his last weapon. Kaito shook his head, ready to protest again when Conan gave him a hard look.

"You cannot run fast in your condition. You might tear open your wound or mess up your ribs even more and I don't want to risk that so far from medical attention. If he found us here he would kill us both. The best thing I can do is lead him away from here. You disappear; you are good at that. I will meet back up with you later."

He gave a confident grin.

"I am used to this. I will be fine."

Conan glanced around the tree and ducked back as another couple of bullets whizzed by. Kaito frowned. He knew Conan was right, but that didn't make this any easier. His shoulder and ribs were begging him for a quick rest, and there was almost no way he could run, even if he needed to. Conan's plan was the best plan, but it still wasn't ideal.

"Hold on a second. Take some sleeping bombs with you."

Conan shook his head.

"No if they catch me and I have those, they will get suspicious and discover the two way radio. If I don't have anything they will think I am a normal kid that got lost."

Kaito frowned. He still didn't like this. He hated that he couldn't do anything. Conan glanced at his watch.

"I will be back in an hour. Don't do anything stupid in the meantime."

Kaito scoffed.

"I should be saying that to you. If you are caught, I am not bailing you out."

Conan rolled his eyes before his face took a serious edge to it.

"Ready? You wait a couple of minutes before moving."

Conan took a deep breath and bolted from his hiding place, dashing in a zig zag pattern through the trees. Kaito heard shouting and ducked behind the tree as the man sprinted past. Kaito quickly drew his card gun and shot. Thank God he was ambidextrous. The card sliced neatly through the man's pants right on the calf. It wouldn't stop him but it would slow him down.

The man turned, trying to find what had cut him but Kaito had already vanished, reappearing in the lower branches of the tree he had been hiding behind. A quick tug at the line he had attached to the card and it was back in his hand. He couldn't afford to leave evidence, especially since Conan was trying his best to make it seem like he didn't exist. The man, seeing nothing, hobbled away. Kaito swallowed as he had his eyes glued on Conan's back as he disappeared into the trees.

"Be careful Tantei-kun."

* * *

Conan breathed hard as he took refuge behind a tree. He had managed to remain bullet hole free, if not barely with a few very close grazes, but he was uninjured. The man had slowed down. Hopefully he was getting tired.

Conan sprinted to the next tree, ducking as another bullet sped past him. Gosh did this guy ever run out of bullets? He was glad he left KID behind. They would probably not kill a child, using them for ransom, but an injured man would definitely be killed. Not to mention, if he was caught he needed him to bail him out. Not that he was going to be caught, but it was nice to have a plan B in these types of situations. He could make it though. It would seem like this criminal didn't know that he was currently chasing a hunter instead of prey.

Suddenly he heard something barreling toward him from his left. He quickly changed course, skirting a treeas he cursed under his breath. He didn't dare glance up to see what the thing was, but anything coming toward him now was a threat. Now though it seemed two things were chasing him. Great. He was just going to lead the original robber away and tranquilize him. He had bigger fish to fry, namely getting KID back to civilization, not trying to capture amateur criminals. He could always catch them later now that he knew their general location.

Then, his sneakers caught on a root.

He fell flat, skidding forward, glasses bouncing off his nose into the dirt. He gritted his teeth as he scraped his knees, but gamely pushed himself off the forest floor, aiming to continue running as he grabbed at his glasses, shoving them back on his face. He needed to make it back to KID.

A cloth fell over him and he was bundled up in it neatly in a matter of seconds. Panic settled in his stomach as he kicked toward the closed end of the fabric, hoping to hit the hand and make him let go. He was lifted bodily off the ground.

"Feisty little rascal isn't he?"

Conan hit against the fabric again.

"Let me go!"

The voice ignored him. Another voice answered instead.

"Let's take him back to base."

Conan relaxed slightly. So there was more than one. He struggled to remember how many there had been on the news. He had only see in it passing, not really paying attention to the story about the robbers; he wished he had. He squirmed, putting the radio in his back pocket. Hopefully, they wouldn't look there, and if they tied his hands behind his back, he would be able to reach it easier.

He heard a crackle and he froze. Was that a stung—

A spark of electricity jolted through him and Conan fell limp, letting the darkness claim him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Conan, you had one job, and you failed. Haha, well let me see what I can do about the current situation. Also, Happy Birthday Conan. May you forever remain seven, or well, I hope you get your real body back soon.**

Kaito was getting nervous. It was nearing the hour mark of the promised meeting time with Tantei-kun, yet he was still nowhere to be found. Did something happen? He figured that even though he had the transmitter to Conan's glasses, he should probably stay put until he came back and not go around in the woods looking for him; no need to make his job of finding him any harder. Still he couldn't help but feel the prickle of unease as he sat on the tree limb he had taken refuge on, constantly scanning the ground for that familiar cowlick.

"Come on Tantei-kun. Where are you?"

* * *

Conan woke up when he was unceremoniously dumped, well more like thrown, into a room. His eyes snapped open and he made a sound of surprise as he bounced across the concrete floor. The door slammed shut before he could get a look at the person's face however. He took a deep breath through his nose as he assessed the situation.

He was lying in what looked like a storage room in some sort of cabin. There was a door on one wall, and he couldn't see the actual window, but guessing from the natural light that illuminated the place, there was one. He had duct tape restraining his ankles, his wrists behind his back, and one short one over his mouth, effectively gagging him. Conan breathed a heavy sigh out through his nose. This sucked. He couldn't talk to KID like this. It was good that they were so rough and let him wake up though. With his exhausted state he might have slept all day if they hadn't have manhandled him crudely.

All right, first, let's see if he could make it out on his own. Calling KID would be the last resort so to speak, because there was no way he would ever hear the end of that. He gently rolled himself over on his stomach and looked around the room, looking for something, anything he could cut his bonds with. Unfortunately these robbers knew how to tie up someone, not like those robbers at the bank where Jodie had escaped by pulling her arms underneath her legs. Could they possibly be the snipers after KID? A rush of fear shot through Conan, before he immediately dismissed it. They didn't have the 'smell' that Haibara always talked about. So that was a good sign, right? These were just common robbers. Nothing more.

Another stroke of bad luck, the room was completely empty, not even a small sliver of glass or a nail that he could use to cut the tape. He sighed inwardly as he rolled back on his side. Contact the thief it was then, even though he was probably going to be teased mercilessly. Probably for the best; he didn't know how long he had been out and KID was probably worried about him.

He wiggled in his bonds, reaching for his back pocket. Thankfully he could easily reach the two way radio in his pocket, just how he predicted. He could still feel it sitting there. With a few well-placed movements, he could finally feel the device in his fingertips. Now, how was he going to contact KID? He couldn't talk.

No, this was KID. He would know codes and things. Despite his constant callings of him being an idiot, KID was brilliant in his own right. No one else could come up with those magic tricks and riddles in heist notes except someone with a mental prowess as incredible as his own. So surely he could figure it out right? But which one to use? He needed to make sure that the bozos in the next room didn't hear it and suspect anything.

He could use the same code that the police use, the kind that he used that one time with the detective boys and robbers who kidnapped Agasa Hakase, but he needed to give more information then what the simple number codes could give out. Braille is written, not sounds. Something that deals with tapping…

Morse code. That was the simplest tapping code out there, and it wouldn't be suspicious. They would just think it was a kid playing with a rock he found and he was bored, as long as he kept it quiet. Would KID know it though? The only thing he could do was try. If KID didn't understand he could always ask, and then Conan could think of a new code. But for now he would work with this. He flicked the switch that turned it on, and started tapping against the floor.

* * *

Kaito already had the radio on, expecting a call, so when he heard it crackle to life, he pressed it urgently to his ear. He didn't say anything in case Tantei-kun was hiding from the baddies or in a compromising position.

He was expecting a voice, instead it sounded like the radio was being hit against something in a set rhythm. Kaito narrowed his eyes in concentration. What was that? It would be the same pattern, stop for a few seconds, than repeat. That told Kaito that yes Conan was in a compromising situation, where he couldn't talk out loud, or he was unable to talk at all. He didn't want to talk back just in case he was. Was he caught? Maybe if he figured out what this pattern meant he could have a clue.

It was three short fast taps that were close together, followed by three with a little space in between, then the three fast taps again. Conan would wait a few seconds, before starting it again. Kaito breathed a heavy sigh as his mind whirled with possible meanings. Wow, look at him. He really was becoming a detective.

He started sifting through all the codes he knew. Binary code? Doubted it. Conan didn't seem like a computer geek. The alphabet? But they were both in three, so that would just be C C C, which didn't make sense. There had to be something though. He felt like Conan would make this message rather simple, just so he could get the code.

Wait. Morse code. Could that be it? The standard tap out code and Tantei-kun would definitely know it. Ah, his knowledge was a little rusty, but he definitely knew the cadence that the detective was currently spelling out over and over.

Dot dot dot. S

Dash Dash Dash. O

Dot dot dot. S

SOS, save our souls, which was the most known Morse combination in the universe.

So Tantei-kun was captured. They probably had him gagged so he couldn't speak. He felt admiration well up inside him for the detective once again. Only Tantei-kun would be resourceful enough to even consider talking in Morse code to him in such a desperate situation. The boy was brilliant, in more than one way.

Crap, he knew he shouldn't have agreed to the plan. Too risky, especially with a fatigued child doing all the hard work. So now what? He probably shouldn't ask with his voice. The robbers could be listening, and while a child tapping against the floor would have been seen as playing, a voice coming from him would blow his cover. So replying in Morse was probably the best bet, and to keep it as short as possible; the less tapping meant less suspicion. Now if he could just remember the correct combinations…

* * *

Conan was just about to try a new code. KID hadn't replied yet. He was sure the thief would get it, and he had been patient, but it had been several minutes. Maybe he didn't have the thing on? No, it was probably past the hour mark, he would be expecting a call from him at least right?

He was just about to give up when he heard tapping from the other end. Conan, surprised and elated that KID had actually gotten the message that he completely missed the return message. After a pause, he listened carefully because the radio was far away from his ears. It was soft, but definitely clear though.

Dot dash dash. W. Dot dot dot dot. H. Dot. E. Dot dash dot. R. Dot. E.

Where?

Conan grinned underneath the tape. KID had met and exceeded his expectations, again. Of course he would figure it out. He quickly pressed hard against the temple of his glasses, grinding against the ground trying to find the button. There he felt it click, pulling up the radar on his lens. Where was KID? Ah there he was, about two km south east of him. He repositioned his arms and quickly tapped out a reply.

* * *

Kaito tapped his reply three times, the first to catch Conan's attention, the second was for him to decipher the message, and the third was to repeat it in case he didn't the first time. He sat quietly in the tree, radio glued in his ear, listening frantically for more information.

There, a drumming sound. It was different from the previous one. KID listened intently.

Dot dot dash dash dash. 2. Dash dot dash. K. dash dash. M. pause. dash dot. N. dot dash dash. W. Dash dot dash dot. C. Dot Dash. A. Dash dot dot dot. B. Dot dot. I. Dash dot. N.

2 kilometers northwest in a cabin it seems. All right. Kaito could definitely work with that. He gingerly lowered himself from the tree he had been hiding in with his grappling hook. No need to jump down and break open the stitches and aggravate broken ribs; he definitely wouldn't save Tantei-kun that way. Looking up at the sun, he easily calculated the cardinal directions and smirked as he tilted toward the right way to go and took off in a quick stride toward his destination. He needed to get there quickly in case the robbers decided to hurt or kill the boy. He paused, next to a tree, typing out his next message before pressing it into his ear, always moving forward.

* * *

Conan didn't expect a reply, but he was ready just in case. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the transmitter he had given KID begin to move toward him. Good, he was on his way. In the meantime he would try to do something about these restraints or possibly gain more information about his situation. Then he heard the distinct knocking coming through the receiver.

Dot dot dot dot. H. Dot dot dash. U. Dot dash dot. R. Dash. T.

Hurt.

Conan narrowed his eyes. Was KID asking him if he was hurt, or was he informing him that he had hurt himself in hiding? Was he in pain from his own injuries? If so that meant a rescue might take longer then expected. He knocked against the floor quickly in his concern.

* * *

Kaito paused as he heard the reply.

Dot dot dash. U. Pause. Dash dash dash. O. Dot dash dot. R. Pause. Dot dot. I.

U or I? What did… oh, of course the detective would misinterpret the message. Kaito didn't put punctuation, because he had only learned letters. Kaito was asking if he was ok, but Conan might have interpreted it as him telling him that Kaito had hurt himself.

He typed back.

Dot dot dash.

You.

A few seconds, before a clipped reply.

Dash dot. N. Dash dash dash. O.

No.

Kaito breathed a sigh of relief. Good; he definitely didn't want Tantei-kun getting hurt, even though it seemed like he always got injured in some way. So how did they catch him? Not important. What was important was that he needed to know what he was up against. He doubted that he alone could take down a lot of criminals but with Tantei-kun at his side, that was a different story. He would always pick Tantei-kun first for going up against anything, because the detective was resourceful, flexible, and adapted easily to situations. He had no doubt in his mind that they together could take down this band of criminals. The boy had taken care of entire band of highly trained mercenaries, _by himself_. This was going to be walk in the park compared to that. It still helped to be prepared though.

He smirked, as he typed out a reply. Maybe he should make his questions more riddle-like for the mystery loving boy.

* * *

Conan was busy eavesdropping on the robber's conversation. He couldn't hear words, but he could definitely try to hear what he was dealing with. He had picked out three different voices so far. He was sure that with KID and himself, dealing with these three would be no problem at all.

Tapping again. He strained to listen, trying to decipher the message.

Dash dot. N. Dot dot dash. U. Dash dash. M. Dash dot dot dot. B. Dot. E. Dot dash dot. R

Number.

Number of what? Oh, of course, KID was thinking the same lines that he was, wanting to know how many they were up against. He was about to type back when suddenly the door burst open.

"What the hell is up with all the noise?"

Conan froze, closing his fist around the radio, keeping it loose enough though that KID could eavesdrop and slammed his glasses against the ground, shutting off the radar. Crap he didn't think they heard him. In his excitement and urgency to convey messages, he had slowly risen in volume. He watched carefully as the three robbers came into the room, taking note of physical abilities, and weapons they had on their belts. Nothing escaped his sharp eye. He recognized one as the one that originally shot him, and there seemed to be two others. The one that shot first crouched next to him, observing.

"It looks like the boy is awake. What do we do with him?"

"Let's kill him."

Conan gave the one who suggested it a level stare. It was the one who had caught him. Another, the one that looked like the brains of the outfit, smacked the second robber upside the head.

"No you idiot, we could get a ransom from him."

The leader picked Conan up by his collar, holding him at eye level.

"Now boya, my men found you in the forest. Were you alone?"

Conan nodded enthusiastically. They couldn't know about KID. The first robber rubbed his chin.

"I thought for sure I saw two people."

Wham, the fist knocked into his cheek. Conan snorted out of his nose in pain. It was painful, but not damaging.

"Are you sure you are alone boya?"

Conan nodded again, letting the fake fear show on his face. They will think he was telling the truth if they thought he was scared of them. The leader regarded him coolly, before dropping him back on the ground. Conan winced as he hit the floor, feeling places where he was sure would bruise.

"So what were you hitting earlier?"

Conan swallowed hard. Oh no if he got caught with the radio he really would die, just when they thought he was not a threat. They would think he was talking with the police. He was already sifting through ideas, trying to come up with some feasible lie. Hands wrestled open his fist, pulling out the communication device.

"Well look at this! This little guy's got a wire on him! Have you been talking to the police?"

Conan shook his head rapidly. A foot kicked out, hitting him in the stomach. It knocked the air out of him in the form of an audible grunt, but he was all right otherwise. He glared up at the leader, who snarled.

"You little brat. I think we should kill you."

* * *

Kaito, who had been listening in with growing panic, was also thinking at the speed of light. Crap, he didn't expect to be found out, at least that quickly. The listening device couldn't go any further in his ear as he sped up, almost running through the trees in his haste. These questions were standard so far, but he was sure it wouldn't be long before it turned to things that put Tantei-kun in danger. He winced as he heard the sound of something getting hit. He would bet yen that it was Tantei-kun. Crap they found out about the radio. He needed to think quickly. What could he do, so far away? There had to be something, because Tantei-kun definitely wouldn't be able to defend himself.

He grinned as a spark of inspiration hit him. This would be the greatest performance he had ever done, if they bought it. He took a deep breath to summon his infamous poker face, he was going to need it, brought the walkie talkie up to his mouth, and began to speak.

* * *

All three robbers and Conan jerked to look at the device in the leader's hand as a voice of a well-known radio announcer started coming in over the radio.

"So sorry folks for the technical difficulties, we just had our radio station down a bit but we are now back up and running. We can now continue on with our interview with Yoko Okino about her upcoming concert in Osaka. Okino-san, are you previewing any new music this concert?"

The female voice of the idol filtered through the air, sounding excited.

"Oh yes, there are several new songs that I am doing."

"Do we get a sneak peek?"

"Oh no, Takato-san, it has to be a surprise."

"All right then. Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to in the near future?"

"Well I am looking to collaborate with some other artists on my new upcoming album."

"I am sure we will all be looking forward to that."

Conan stared at the radio in amazement. He had no doubt in his mind that it was KID doing the voice impressions. Was he insane, or just have more guts then he first realized? But this was the most plausible thing, and oh my goodness, they looked like they were buying it. The thief was a genius. Conan couldn't help but be impressed at the flawless transition between voices, the steadiness of the voices that betrayed no nervousness whatsoever; even though Conan knew that he knew that he was literally trying to keep Conan from being killed. He didn't care what anyone else said; KID was the best actor he had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. Anything he did was done with grace and casual coolness that even rivaled his mother's acting skills. Nothing ever seemed to faze the eccentric thief. One of the robbers glanced at him.

"So this is a regular radio?"

Conan nodded. The leader ripped the tape off his mouth.

"So why were you banging it against the ground?"

Conan took a deep breath. KID was acting, now he had to play the part of the scared child, a role he could easily do; he had had enough practice of it.

"I was bored. You didn't give me toys to play with. I was hitting it to get reception, but it seems like it was on their end that had problems. Ojii-san, will you let me go now? I got to get back home. I was playing in the woods by myself I promise. I won't tell anybody you were here."

The second robber scoffed as he examined the radio, which was now giving out the weather report for the week of a well known meteorologist, that Conan absentmindedly realized that it actually was the forecast for the next week.

"Stupid kid, you trying to break it? I think we should punish him boss."

Conan cowered, faking a cry.

"Waah, don't hurt me."

The leader took the radio back and gently prodded the bound up child.

"No sorry boya, but the only way you are getting back if your parents give us a ransom. We will deal with that later though."

He switched the radio off, which was in the middle of a car commercial, where KID had switched to yet another voice, saying how great the deals were at a dealership. He placed it back in the boy's hand.

"All right, you can keep it, but you can't tap it anymore ok? No noises from you."

Conan plastered on a childish smile, his voice rising in a couple of octaves.

"Ok ojii-san."

The robbers left him there as they went back into the other room, but not before putting the tape back over his mouth. Conan squirmed in his bonds. Communicating with KID now would be dangerous. The best thing he could do was to let him know he was ok, but no other contact until the thief actually got there. He switched it back on, tapped once, and then switched it back off. He didn't want to take the chance of KID trying to contact him again.

* * *

Kaito heard the radio switch off as the voices of the robbers and Conan disappeared, but the last that he heard, it sounded like they had bought the idea that it was just a normal radio. He breathed a sigh of relief. Thank the lord he was so obsessed with the news that he had heard the necessary information to pull off the improvised skit. He spoke to the air around him.

"That was a close one Tantei-kun."

Now then, the last thing he had heard was Conan acting. He was pretty convincing; the kid was good at making people drop their guard. Hopefully they didn't hurt him like he asked. There was only one way to find out. He needed to hurry. If Conan was all right, he would signal, somehow and someway.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he heard the radio turn back on. He heard one tap, before it fizzled off again. That tap didn't have any meaning then just telling him that he wasn't dead and he had the radio back. He grinned. So Tantei-kun had the radio back, was still gagged, but wasn't hurt probably, at least not badly. They had hung up no less than thirty seconds ago, which they couldn't have done that much damage to the boy in that length of time. He probably shouldn't reply back until he was actually at the place where Tantei-kun was being held. He muttered as he continued forward.

"Hold on Tantei-kun. I am coming."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone! It is now time for the action. Go Kaito and Conan! Love the reviews too, please keep reading, and enjoy!**

Kaito peered around the tree at the small wooden and stone cabin in the middle of the woods. This had to be it right? There couldn't be more than one random cabin in the woods about two kilometers northwest of his old location right? So next course of action? Verify it with Tantei-kun. But he couldn't do anything except wait until Tantei-kun turned his receiver back on again.

There, the sound of it being turned back on. Tantei-kun was probably watching his location with those signature glasses of his. Then soft knocking against the ground again, Conan probably learning from his previous encounter to keep it quiet.

Dash dot dot dot. B. Dot dash. A. Dash dot dash dot. C. dash dot dash. K.

Back? Like the back of the house? Kaito slowly glided through the trees, quiet as the thief he was. He kept one eye on the front door of the cottage, making sure none of the bozos decided to look out and see him. There were two windows in the back of the house. The first revealed a bathroom, and no sign of Tantei-kun anywhere. The second one revealed a great gift.

It was a small room with concrete walls and floor, with Conan trussed up in the middle. He was sitting upright, facing the door. Kaito smiled inwardly with relief as he silently lifted up the window from the sill. Heck the robbers hadn't even locked it. Conan looked ok, not even a drop of blood on him. In fact, seeing the small boy all tied up and out of danger, in such a humiliating position, was hilarious. On the outside he chuckled quietly.

"Wow Tantei-kun, I really wish I had a camera."

Conan whipped his head around to glare at the thief, whether it was annoyance at him laughing at his predicament, or a warning to keep it down because of the criminals in the next room Kaito couldn't tell. Kaito just gave a grin and loved the way Conan's cerulean eyes narrowed in annoyance. That was infinitely better then bruised and in pain.

"How ironic, the great detective captured in a cell. I wanted to capture this historic moment."

Conan rolled his eyes, before he grew serious. He wiggled his fingers to get the thief's attention. He pointed to the duct tape on his wrists and then pointed his index and middle fingers and mimed shooting. Kaito got the message, pulling out his card gun. He whispered as quietly as possible as he sighted down the barrel at the floor, right at the juncture of Conan's wrists.

"Hold still."

Conan held as still as possible, even though he was buzzing with excitement and adrenaline. He was ecstatic to see the thief for once. He didn't doubt the thief's ability to shoot through his bonds without injuring him; he trusted him. Sure enough there was a soft clicking noise and he felt something slice neatly through the duct tape, embedding into the floor.

"I will be back in a few. I am going to go scout around a little."

Then KID was gone, back around the front of the house. Conan focused on the card instead, knowing the thief could take care of himself. It wasn't enough to cut through completely, but the location of the card allowed him to scoot back and cut the rest of it himself. He kept one eye on the door just to make sure the robbers weren't coming back anytime soon. Finally his hands were free. He quickly ripped off the tape on his mouth and used the card to cut the tape off his ankles. He sighed; step one, escape confinement complete. Now he had to somehow get the three bozos restrained.

"Let's go Tantei-kun. They are busy discussing what to do with you."

A hushed whisper came again from the window. Conan stood and stretched, his limbs stiff but still movable. Yes, he could work with this. The boy detective quietly padded over to the window. Kaito reached down to help him up and over the sill, but Conan shook his head.

"Come on Tantei-kun, let's go while they are distracted."

"What are you talking about? I am taking them out. You can help, or not."

Conan was thinking ahead. He could go with KID and they could both go in together through the front door. No, it would be better if he at least attacked from inside the house. No way would they expect that. He had been thinking of letting them go earlier with the priority of getting KID back home, but no, they had kidnapped him, making it personal. There was no way he would let them go now.

Kaito rolled his eyes. Of course Tantei-kun wouldn't let the robbers go free.

"Fine what is the plan?"

Conan pointed to his watch.

"I will go and take them out through here. You come in the front."

"What weapons do they have?"

Conan smirked. Another thing he had noticed when they had come in he had noticed all the weapons they had. It paid to be observant.

"A gun, a stungun, and a knife between them."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. Well, now he knew how Tantei-kun was captured. Conan pressed a finger to his lips as he fiddled with his shoes and clicked his watch open. He didn't have any soccer balls to kick, but the shoes could definitely cause pain if kicked into someone's leg. He was ready. Kaito nodded, all business as he fell into his role as Kaitou Kid, even without the white suit, top hat, and monocle.

"Be careful. Give me a minute to get up there."

Conan saluted distractedly as he crept toward the door. Kaito smirked, crouching down and started toward the front of the house. It was show time.

* * *

Conan leaned quietly against the door, listening carefully. The men seemed to be talking about their money, one million yen total that they stole from the bank. Swallowing hard, Conan slowly pulled down on the handle, pushing the door open a crack. A man was sitting in the range of his watch. He was about to click when the leader noticed him.

They had a staring contest for a millisecond.

Conan instinctively shot his dart and it made its way into one of the robber's neck. He immediately slumped forward.

The leader yelled and shot forward in the same moment, reaching for Conan.

The boy quickly pulled the door shut. There was no lock, so he did the next best thing. He hung on for dear life, and when he felt resistance threatening to take away his barricade against his attacker he used his power shoes to kick through the door, right into the leader's knee. The leader howled a few choice words, adding to the cacophony of the shocked yells of his partner, but he continued forward through the door.

"You will pay for that you brat."

Conan backed up cautiously, looking around the barren room. There was nothing he could use or kick. He was trapped.

* * *

Kaito was only about halfway around the house when he heard the scuffle inside. He sprinted the rest of the way, cursing Tantei-kun's impatience. Didn't he literally just now tell him to wait for him to get into position? He had just needed maybe twenty more seconds. He burst through the front door. One of the robbers was already asleep, snoring in an arm chair, probably the aftereffects of a tranquilizer watch. The other, the one that found them in the woods, was looking at the back room where the door had the bottom half splintered and destroyed, hellish shoes no doubt, but as soon as Kaito made his entrance, he whirled around.

"Where did you come from?"

KID smirked, pulling down his hat, portraying his gentleman thief persona easily. These guys were scumbags, but no reason not to be polite.

"Oh you know, around. Don't mind me; I just thought I would drop in on your lovely abode."

The man drew a knife. Kaito's smirk widened as he drew his card gun. A well placed card sent the knife spinning out of the criminal's hand. He blinked in shock before diving after his weapon. Kaito flicked his wrist, producing a smoke bomb, tossing it forward. It quickly exploded, filling the room with pinkish smoke. It was the kind that quickly dissipated though, and when it did, the robber was dismayed to see the knife had disappeared and was now in Kaito's hand. He tossed it back and forth leisurely, as casual as if they were discussing this over coffee.

"You should really keep better track of your belongings."

The robber blinked at him in confusion, and Kaito fought the urge to straight up laugh at him. Then he dove forward with a cry, fists raised. Kaito raised an eyebrow. Really? A fist fight? This guy was dumber then he originally thought. He pulled some anesthetic powder out of one of his pockets and gently blew it forward, right into the man's face. He blinked slowly, once, twice, and then his eyes rolled back into his head as he crumpled to the floor. Kaito grinned. Two down, one to go.

He turned toward the backroom, just in time to hear the gun go off.

* * *

Conan stepped back, watching the leader warily, ready to make a move, until he hit the back wall. He gulped, but outwardly he glared defiantly at the leader. The leader grinned maniacally back as he continued to step toward Conan, slow and methodical.

"You aren't a normal boya are you?"

Conan just smirked in answer. He had no dart, nothing to kick. He was so screwed. He saw the puff of signature pink smoke that had to be from one of KID's smoke bombs; so he had decided to join in. Maybe KID could interfere on his behalf.

The leader then drew the pistol, cocking it in a single motion and fired. Surprised, Conan leapt instinctively to one side trying to avoid the bullet aimed at his chest. The bullet barely grazed his upper arm, but it was enough to destroy any sense of balance he had. He stumbled, falling with a cry. The leader dove forward, pinning him down with one hand on his chest while his other one fumbled in his pants pocket for something.

"You are so troublesome. This cyanide pill will take care of you."

He pulled out the little white pill. Conan froze, staring up at the man in horror, because he wasn't seeing an amateur robber anymore. He was seeing Gin, holding a vial and a little red and white pill and then _heart beat pounding, pain pain, it hurts it hurts, burning, melting, **dying**_. The flashback was so vivid Conan kicked out, yelling as he struggled against the stronger man, one hand grabbing at the pill and the other closing over his mouth. Not again. He couldn't do this again.

The man seemed amused at his struggles.

"Oh boya, what's wrong. It will be over quick. What happened to your bravado?"

Conan glowered at the man. Curse this tiny body that can't even defend itself. The pill was inching closer and closer to his mouth and he was completely powerless to stop it. Conan grunted as he simultaneously pushed against the man and scooted away from the hand promising death to him.

Suddenly he heard a poof and the room turned misty with grey smoke. Conan felt the hand on him disappear and another take its place. Oh god, the other robber was going to finish the job. He was about to fight against this new assailant when he heard a familiar smooth tone.

"Don't breathe."

KID. Conan visibly relaxed as he felt KID drag him from the room. He made it halfway to the door, before he felt his legs give out from under him. Oh, so it was one of KID's sleeping gas bombs then. KID seemed to notice his predicament and just picked him up, hauling him quickly from the trap. He didn't stop until they were outside the house.

Kaito dropped Conan gently to the grass and they both sat there catching their breath. Conan was still a little shaken as he lay face down in the grass, panting with his eyes closed. Kaito didn't know what had caused such a reaction. He had just raced to the room when he heard the gunshot and had thrown in the bomb when he heard Conan shouting.

"You ok Tantei-kun?"

Conan nodded, shaking his head to clear it from any sleeping gas that he might have breathed in. He rolled over onto his back, staring up in the afternoon sky.

"I'm all right."

KID frowned as he saw the blood currently soaking through Conan's signature blue suit coat.

"No you are not you got shot."

Conan looked down at his arm as Kaito cradled it gently, immediately inspecting the gunshot wound.

"It is just a graze I am fine."

It was really just a scrape, nothing bad. In fact the bleeding had already stopped. Kaito pulled out the bandana used to hide his face the day before and tied it neatly as a bandage anyway. It wouldn't hurt to be safe. Conan chuckled as Kaito fussed over him.

"Oh, I think I prefer Ran as my nurse over some phantom thief."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. Was Tantei-kun trying to get him to tease him? He switched his voice to Ran's, smirking as he did.

"Oh, I always could Conan-kun. Just close your eyes and let Ran-neechan take care of you."

As expected Conan blushed and looked away, hiding a grin. KID was looking way too serious, so he decided to give him an outlet to vent his teasing nature. He really wasn't injured that bad; no need for KID to worry needlessly. Finally done tying the makeshift bandage, Kaito breathed a sigh of relief.

"Seriously Tantei-kun, how do I let you drag me into these things?"

Conan gave him a calculated look.

"Thanks, for coming and helping I mean. I do remember you saying you wouldn't help me out if I got caught."

KID tilted his hat brim down in acknowledgment as he bowed his head.

"No problem, anytime. That was a joke silly. As if I would leave you in the clutches of some evil criminals. It is against my code of ethics."

Kaito lifted his head, showing off his signature KID smirk.

"Oh yeah, Morse code? Ingenious Tatnei-kun. Only you could pull something like that off. Color me impressed."

Conan answered with a grin of his own.

"That's nothing compared to your performance on the walkie talkie. Convincing them it was just a normal radio was nothing short of brilliant, something only you could do."

Kaito tipped his hat again at the compliment, before growing serious again.

"Hey Tantei-kun what was he trying to do in there?"

Conan blinked and Kaito didn't miss the flicker of fear in his eyes.

"Cyanide."

Kaito felt a rush of anger. Some idiot was going to poison a child? Talk about insane and overkill. These guys were lower than low. No wonder Tantei-kun was freaking out. Although, he probably dealt with poisoning pretty often, it seemed a little extreme a reaction. Had Tantei-kun almost been poisoned before? Ah well, questions for a later date. He sat back, looking up at the sky.

"What now Tantei-kun?"

Conan glanced back at the cabin, seeing the grey smoke inside starting to dissipate.

"I say we go back inside, tie them up, and look for food. I don't know about you, but I am starving."

In response, Kaito's stomach growled. Oh yeah, he hadn't ate or drank anything since before the heist last night. Amazing how you forget things like that when your life is threatened, by snipers or robbers or otherwise. He chuckled and stood.

"Wonderful idea Tantei-kun. Would you do the honors of capturing the thieves? That is what you do best after all. I would feel bad betraying my fellow brethren."

Conan rolled his eyes, but Kaito didn't miss the small smile on his lips.

"Fine, can you look and see what kind of food they have in the kitchen?"

"Hai!"

Kaito sang out as he skipped back indoors, opening several windows on the way to clear out the rest of the smoke. Conan walked in behind him, searching through the rooms for the, ah there it was on a dresser, the roll of duct tape they had used to tie him up. He tied up the robbers similarly to how they had tied him up and then tied all three together. After making sure they each had nothing sharp near them, and they each had a transmitter on their person just in case they did escape and he could find them again, did he start toward the kitchen. He hoped there was food. He was starving, and food and water would definitely help KID heal his wounds quicker.

Kaito had found the kitchen easily. He went over to the refrigerator, humming as he pulled open the door. Immediately he slammed it shut, a small squeak escaping his lips. These robbers were the worst kind of evil. Why the heck did they have one of the finny things in the fridge? He swallowed painfully. He couldn't let Tantei-kun find it.

"Anything good?"

He jumped at the childish voice behind him. _Poker face don't fail me now._ He smiled back at the boy.

"I haven't looked yet. How about you check the pantry? I will get the drinks."

Hopefully the boy didn't find the finny thing, He didn't know if he could keep up his poker face if the boy decided to eat it in front of him. He could just imagine the detective using his fear against him at heists. Just like Kaito liked to mess with his detectives, Tantei-kun had a mischievous streak in him too. He didn't minding stooping to the pranking level as the thief as he returned everything the thief gave him plus interest. If he found out his greatest fear...the repercussions would be disastrous. He swallowed again, focused on pouring water into cups.

Conan watched KID carefully. He had heard a very interesting sound when he had been on his way to the kitchen, and when he had walked in KID was extra jumpy, almost nervous. Did he find a dead body in the fridge or something? He honestly wouldn't be surprised at this point. After checking the pantry and finding two cups of instant ramen, he decided to check the refrigerator. He carefully gauged KID's reaction and didn't miss the slight tensing of his body as he hauled the door open.

A fish stared back at him. He leapt back in shock before clutching his heart. Jeez, there really was a dead body in the refrigerator, even though it wasn't the kind he was expecting. They had probably caught it in the nearby river. KID chuckled.

"Yeah, startled me too."

Conan pulled the fish out. It was already cooked, it just needed to be heated, and it was preferable to instant ramen, even if it was half eaten.

"Still, it is edible."

KID was already fixing his ramen with a tea kettle full of hot water. Conan placed the fish in the microwave with a well-placed chair and turned to set the table. KID suddenly walked out of the room.

"Where are you going?"

KID poked his head back in, light glinting off his monocle mischievously as he took on a wicked aura.

"I am going to teach our little robber friends that they shouldn't have messed with us. Want to help?"

Conan almost, almost, felt sorry for the robbers, but not really. He waved his hand, reaching to get chopsticks out of the drawer.

"Nah, you go ahead and have fun, but try not to do anything too traumatic."

KID grinned playfully and was gone. He did want to teach the robbers a lesson, especially by almost poisoning a child, but he actually hoped by the time he came back, Tantei-kun will have devoured the finny thing so that it was out of his sight. It was a win win really. Now where had he put his hair dye and glitter?


	10. Chapter 10

**All right everybody. There will only be three more chapters of this story, including this one. I hope everyone is getting the emails about updates, because I don't know why it seems like Fanfic is on the fritz lately. I hope it fixes itself.**

Conan had sat down at the kitchen table and had finished about half the fish when KID came back in, hauling in a briefcase.

"You think you want this Tantei-kun?"

Conan swallowed the bite he had been chewing on.

"What is it?"

KID placed it on the table, opening it to show stacks of ten thousand yen bills. Oh, so the money they had stolen.

"Found it in the closet in there."

Conan nodded.

"Yeah, that's fine. Just leave it here. I will get the police to pick it up later."

KID placed it on the ground, and picked up his instant ramen from the counter and sat gingerly across the table from Conan. The detective narrowed his eyes as he noticed KID eating his ramen without looking at him. Had he done something wrong? No it wasn't him. The reaction to opening the fridge, the way he had walked out of the room when he said he was having fish to eat, the way he had stayed away until just now, and now his distinct need to not stare at his food. What had the detective boys said about 'Shinichi nii-san' on the island when they spent time with him?

Kaito was really trying to act normal. It was easier considering it was half eaten and well, not flopping, but gosh those eyes seemed to stare into the depths of his soul. Best to just avoid eye contact in general. Suddenly, he could _hear_ the smirk crease Conan's face, and that was never a good sound. No, he couldn't have. He looked up to see Conan staring at him, triumphant grin on his face.

"Are you afraid of fish by any chance?"

Kaito flinched at the f word, but other than that remained perfectly still. Oh crap. He was screwed.

"No, what makes you say that?"

God even he could hear the strain in his voice. Conan leisurely took another bite.

"Multiple reasons, but the main one being that the detective boys seemed to mention that 'Shinichi' didn't like fish."

Kaito tsked. Those little brats had ratted him out. Gosh darn it. Conan leaned forward, taking another bite.

"Let's make a deal KID."

Kaito was willing to sell his soul to the conniving detective if it meant that he wouldn't use his fear against him during his heists. That's all he asked. Was that too much? He had loved that he had Tantei-kun's weakness, which was of course either dressing as him, or Ran, or flirting with the girl. Now though, they were on even ground. He had suitable blackmail material. This sucked so badly. Conan grinned.

"I won't start bringing these to heists, if you promise to never flirt with Ran again."

"Done and done."

Kaito answered instantly. He wasn't planning on doing that anyway. Conan raised an eyebrow at his cooperation.

"Really?"

Kaito stuck his hand across the table. Conan stared at it for a second before reaching forward, shaking it slightly, before drawing back, looking skeptical. Conan stood, taking the fish to the trash and dumped it in. He didn't miss how the thief visibly relaxed.

"It's really surprising, the great Kaitou KID, is actually afraid of fish."

Kaito grumbled.

"Yeah well, sorry but despite the name, I am not a phantom but human. Thanks for not laughing at least. That's a first."

Because while Conan had smiled, it was his smug figured-you-out smirk, not a mocking or laughing smirk, and that made Kaito appreciate Conan even more. Everyone had laughed at his fear. Conan sat back down with his instant ramen.

"A fear is a fear. It's unexpected, but I won't use it against you unless you do something I really don't like."

Conan frowned.

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask you. What happened between you and Ran on the airship?"

Kaito choked on a mouthful of noodles. Ah crap. He was dead. He was going to get kicked out of the house and then hit multiple times with a finny thing. The look Conan was giving him was serious, and it made him want to be anywhere on the planet other than in this room. He swallowed.

"You have to let me explain before you kill me."

Conan raised an eyebrow and folded his arms firmly across his chest.

"Depending on your answer I might dig my lunch out of the trash."

Kaito gulped.

"Ok look, she figured out my disguise, and you know how she is. If I had tried to escape she would have punched my face in. She was going to turn me in; I mean Nakamori Keibu was right there. I had to do something."

Conan sighed, already knowing where this was going.

"So you pretended to be me."

Kaito grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"It took some convincing. She didn't want to believe you had turned phantom thief."

Conan sighed, letting more frustration leak into his tone.

"And? What happened on the sky deck?"

Kaito licked his lips nervously.

"Well I was about to escape when she cornered me again and begged me to turn myself in, and she just looked so happy to see you again. So I tried to kiss her."

Conan was now looking furious as he twiddled with his shoes absentmindedly, but it did catch Kaito's attention. Kaito held up a hand to pacify the fuming boy.

"Relax; I made sure she knew I wasn't you before we did. It never happened."

Conan gave a deadpan look.

"How did you accomplish that?"

Kaito gave a roguish wink.

"I tried, emphasis on tried, to touch her butt. You know to bring her closer in. She caught me before I could though, saying that's not something you would do. I managed to keep your girlfriend from cheating on you, and proved your innocence in the same move; even though I am pretty sure it looked really bad from where you were standing."

Conan sighed. Ok, he still wasn't exactly happy with the thief; he had tried to kiss Ran after all, although it seemed like a necessary evil. KID was just trying protect himself, and then he was fixing his mistake. Otherwise, Kudo Shinichi would still be branded as the Kaitou KID, and that wasn't exactly a good image to have. His thoughts were interrupted by KID, asking smoothly.

"How is that going by the way? Are you two an item yet?"

Now it was Conan's turn to choke on his food. He chugged his water and then asked indignantly, red blush apparent on his cheeks.

"What the heck made you ask that?"

Kaito shrugged.

"Wouldn't anyone be curious about a seven year old who is lying about his age and a teenage girl in a relationship? Doesn't she question your disappearance at all?"

Conan sighed.

"I call her, using the bowtie to talk in my voice, and text her a lot, but other than that, I don't do anything as Kudo Shinichi. As Conan I try to distract her from my disappearance as much as possible."

Kaito hummed in response.

"So, have you confessed yet?"

He didn't need the verbal one as the physical one of Conan's face turning blood red and him averting his eyes did all the talking for him.

"Oh, in this body? Or over the phone? That's not very cool Tantei-kun."

Conan glared at him.

"It was in my normal body thank you and in person. I can switch back from time to time with a little help, so I used the opportunity one-time to—"

He paused, trailing off, fiddling with his fingers. Kaito smiled genuinely. He could totally picture any teenage boy in Conan's seat, awkward and embarrassed. It just gave him a small comfort, that wherever Ran was concerned, the Meitantei of the East got flustered, when he could face down terrorists, murderers, bombers, kidnappers, organizations, and any other criminal without batting an eye.

Not to mention, he had seen the way both of them had looked at each other. Conan at Ran, and Ran at him whenever he had disguised as him; it was a look of love and care that he rarely saw in other people. If anyone deserved to be together, it would be these two.

"Well good, I am glad. Even if you all aren't together now, in the future you will right?"

Conan gave him a hard look.

"You aren't going to use this to disguise as me are you?"

Kaito shook his head.

"No, didn't I just promise two minutes ago that I wouldn't flirt with your girlfriend?"

Conan relaxed as he sighed, sipping more water.

"It's hard though, really hard. She misses me, and I can't do anything to help her, when she cries herself to sleep some nights, and I know it is all my fault. All I can do is just distract her and call her from time to time. Being so close, but unable to tell her anything when she thinks I am far away, it's horrible, but necessary."

Kaito frowned, chewing thoughtfully on his ramen.

"Why don't you tell her though? She can take care of herself, and will probably help both of you without her worrying."

Conan shrugged.

"It's not like that. Ran is the type of person that would worry about other people's problems. I can't tell her, she would worry regardless, even moreso if she knows the danger I am in. She just thinks I am on a case right now, and that's all she needs to know."

Kaito noticed the touch of melancholy that had settled over Conan. He sighed, thinking of Aoko as he swirled his chopsticks in his bowl of ramen.

"Well, it could be worse. At least you know she loves you back."

Conan leapt up, banging his hands against the table as he looked at KID with surprise.

"KID, you have a girl?"

Kaito blinked. Ah crap, he did it again. He waved dismissively.

"No I was just stating a fact. Think about it, would I try to seduce every lady I came across if I did?"

Conan shook his head, grinning.

"No it wasn't, you were speaking from experience. I am guessing you like someone but aren't in a relationship yet. You have a crush?"

Kaito just gave him a deadpan look.

"So much for trying not to find anything out about my identity, detective."

Conan sat back down, on the edge of his seat in interest.

"I won't if you don't mention names."

Kaito sighed. Well, this wasn't how he wanted this conversation to go.

"Well, it is complicated."

"Try me. Can't be more complicated than my dilemma."

Kaito paused, wondering how he should explain.

"She kind of hates me."

Conan froze, frown falling over his face.

"I'm sorry. That sucks."

Kaito smiled ruefully.

"No, let me rephrase that. She hates Kaitou KID. I'm pretty sure she likes civilian me, at least a little bit. At least that's the vibe I was getting from her. But she can't like one half of me and hate the other. That's why it is complicated."

Yes, Aoko was probably the only person on earth that truly hated Kaitou KID, because of course he stole her father away from her. Not to mention she had almost found out multiple times. The Buddha heist took a whole lot of lies, luck, and weeks with Jii doing the heists to throw her off the scent. He continued.

"She is like Ran-chan; not afraid to give a good beating if I need it. If I ever do tell her the truth, you really will have to investigate my murder. I would rather just love her at a distance then have her hate me. I couldn't do that to her. I can't confess either, not while I am Kaitou KID, and definitely not with an evil organization on my tail. Too many risks. I am sure you understand."

Conan nodded in agreement. The organizations they dealt with had no qualms with using loved ones against them. To keep them at a distance was to keep them safe. At least he and KID had that in common. Kaito sighed heavily.

"So you see, you all aren't the worse relationship around. Still better than me. Double lives suck, am I right?"

Conan sat still for several seconds pondering. Another thing he never thought KID had to deal with: women problems. From what he could see KID was a gentleman through and through, flirtatious in that womanizing endearing way that would have women falling over themselves for him. The size of his fan club proved that. He was so cool and suave, he could have any woman he wanted, but maybe all of them just wasn't the one he was truly wanting. He could kind of understand KID's predicament. Ran had basically promised to kick his butt when he came home, and once she found out about Conan…all hell would break loose. They were so darn similar. Conan swallowed before stating slowly.

"Ran will probably do the same when she finds out about Conan. She will be angry, probably use karate to give my face a makeover, and not talk to me for a long time. I am prepared for that, because I know that what I am doing now is essential. I plan on explaining everything especially that I am doing what I am doing because I want to keep her safe. After all that, and she still is angry, that's fine. I won't give up on her though; she is way too important to me for that. I will fight to keep her love because it is worth it. Eventually, I think she will forgive me, at least I hope."

He gave KID a cool stare.

"I don't know if this girl is like Ran, but I think if you are as close as I think you might be, than I think she will forgive you too, but you will have to explain it, no lying and no hiding behind anything. You have to tell the whole truth. You are a thief for a reason; you wouldn't risk your life otherwise by going out with the slight chance that you could get shot. You have to be doing it for a really good reason. I'm sure that she will hate your guts for a while, but as long as you keep trying, I think you can get there."

Kaito stared at him for a few seconds. He had been struggling with this dilemma ever since he became Kaitou KID, and now he was being told the simplest answer, the one he needed to hear. He bowed his head, smirking, before laughing loudly. Conan blinked in confusion.

"What is it?"

Kaito just shook his head.

"Just the fact that a womanizer like me is getting relationship advice from a seven year old. Isn't that hilarious?"

Conan smirked.

"You learn a lot when you have Sonoko as a friend."

Kaito sighed.

"Ah yes. That explains it. Although, why would Ran beat you up?"

Conan winced.

"I have tricked her so many times. I mean she has almost figured me out several times, and I had to jump through hoops to make sure she didn't find me out. Not to mention…"

Conan trailed off. Kaito noticed that the boy seemed to think the table top was the most interesting thing in the world, and his ears had turned a nice shade of crimson. Kaito blinked once, and then a teasing grin curled upwards on his lips as his brain made the connections.

"You saw her naked, didn't you?"

Conan twitched, staring up at Kaito with horrified eyes. His mouth opened and shut several times, but no sound came out. Kaito snickered as he leaned forward clapping Conan on the back.

"Wow, look at you, a little kid and you have already seen your love interest naked. You are more man then I thought. How ironic, the youngest and you already got that far."

Conan protested wildly, sputtering.

"No it was an accident I didn't mean to see it the towel just—"

Kaito elbowed him gleefully.

"But you liked it didn't you? I bet you had a nosebleed."

Conan averted his eyes and Kaito cackled. He could imagine it now. The fact that Conan got flustered around her whenever she did something even remotely romantic, and just the fact seeing her caused him to go all googoo eyed, he couldn't even imagine how the kid would have reacted with a fully nude Ran. He would have had a stroke, and Kaito could just imagine the overly genius brain short circuiting and coming to a complete stop. It would have been a masterpiece. Man he wished he caught that on video.

"This is too good. I bet she wanted to bathe with you too. Stupid little kids don't know how to bathe themselves after all. I bet you let your good Ran-neechan wash your back."

Conan covered his mouth as the fleeting memory crossed through his mind. God this was mortifying. He almost had a nosebleed at the meer mention of it. Kaito finally calmed down, although he mimed wiping invisible tears. He hadn't laughed that hard in a long time.

"All right, point taken. We will both know what happened to the other if the other's dead body shows up on the news."

Conan relaxed once he realized the boy laughing at his expense was finally done.

"Cause we have crazy girlfriends who know how to beat the crap out of people?"

Kaito winked.

"Exactly that."

Both boys finished their ramen around the same time in comfortable silence. They tossed them in the trashcan. Kaito stretched one arm up.

"So how far are we away from Beika Tantei-kun?"

Conan flicked on his glasses and visibly relaxed.

"Only about two more miles. Is that all right?"

Kaito grinned.

"Let's be off then. The sooner the better right?"

They both walked out of the house, and Conan couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the pink hair, glitter, and streamers covering the still unconscious robbers.


	11. Chapter 11

Kaito noticed something was amiss as soon as he stepped out of the cabin. He blinked once as the world seemed to spin wildly around him and he stumbled slightly. Um, that wasn't a good sign. Conan blinked up at him, blue eyes clouded with concern.

"Are you all right?"

Kaito nodded, poker face already in play.

"Of course. Just tripped a little."

They needed to get back soon. It was by now around two or three in the afternoon. They really needed to get back before dark. It was harder now though because the survival need of food had been met, leaving him full and now wanting to fulfill the one of sleeping for days. He couldn't let his injuries slow him down when they were so close though. It was just three kilometers. He could definitely make it. He nodded gamely to himself as he pushed on through the woods, determined to get back. He could make it.

Conan stumbled forward, and Kaito gave him a long observing look. The boy looked terrible. His feet dragged in the dust and he almost tripped constantly as his toes caught on holes and invisible tree roots. He was so exhausted, and Kaito couldn't even do anything to help him. Carrying him would aggravate his own injuries, and they definitely wouldn't make it back. They just needed to rely on their own power for now. Kaito panted, wincing at how easily his body became fatigued. God both of them were falling apart. Only the promise of home kept him moving at this point.

"Hey Tantei-kun, what are you going to do once we get back?"

He needed something to fill the void, something to pass the time and keep his mind off of how far they still needed to go. Two miles hadn't sounded like a lot at the time, but now they seemed something insurmountable. Conan gave him a weary glance.

"Well I got to call the police and take care of those robbers, something you definitely shouldn't be around for. Then I need to check in with a couple of people, just to make sure everything is all right. Then I need a hot bath and a warm bed. What about you?"

Kaito stepped over a root and clenched his fists to ground him to reality as his vision swam again.

"I will probably double check my injuries with my assistant. They know really good first aid so they can probably take care of me. I also want a nice cup of hot chocolate."

Conan gave him a hazy glance.

"You like chocolate?"

Kaito almost drooled at just thinking about the sweet drink. Especially when it was just the right temperature as the warmth was just cool enough to drink, but still warm enough to feel it sliding down his throat and feel the heat pool in his stomach. Utter bliss right now. In fact, the only thing that was keeping him moving at this point.

"I've been told I have a sweet tooth. Aw crap I gave away something about me again."

Conan snorted.

"As if I could find you out by what your drink preference is. Even I am not that good."

Kaito placed a hand on his chest, looking offended.

"What, the Meitantei of the East can't even do such a thing?"

Conan rolled his eyes, but Kaito could recognize that the look didn't have its usual sharpness.

"Sorry to disappoint then."

Conan stumbled again and this time it looked like he really was going to fall flat on his face. Kaito reached down, hiding a groan at the strain on his injured arm, as he gripped the back of the boy's collar, hauling him upright.

"Oi Tanti-kun, need a nap?"

Conan blinked in confusion as he yawned, eyes weary. He didn't know why he was so tired all of a sudden.

"No I am good. Just need to keep going, otherwise I will sleep."

He stepped forward, determination on his face. Kaito shook his head in slight amazement. He was struggling, but Conan was just a child, at least physically. He was probably way worse than he was considering he was running on maybe four hours of sleep total over a two day span. Pure will and stubbornness was moving him forward, and Kaito for once thanked his lucky stars that Tantei-kun was so tenacious.

Suddenly his vision went dark completely. He stumbled to the side, hands reaching like a blind man for a tree, something to keep him upright. He heard a surprised gasp followed by what he thought was 'KID' when he felt stability in the form of two tiny arms wrapping around his legs. He blinked furiously trying to dispel the darkness. What was going on?

He felt the arms maneuver him skillfully sideways and backwards, guiding him until he felt rough bark behind him. Conan pulled him down gently and waited patiently.

"KID, what's wrong?"

Kaito finally saw blurred colors that slowly grew more defined and he found himself staring into Conan's face. He leaned back slightly, perturbed by the closeness.

"Sorry, blacked out a little. I am fine. Let's keep going."

Conan frowned. Why was KID passing out now? If he was passing out from blood loss it should have happened last night, not today. Was it the activity of catching the robbers? He didn't know what kind of acrobatics or how far the thief had pushed himself against the other robber. Conan rolled up the t-shirt sleeve and grimaced at the bandage he had put on the night before that was slowly staining more and more crimson.

"Baro, you tore open your wound."

Kaito blinked slowly as he lethargically looked down at his wound. He hissed through his teeth as Conan pulled at the fabric, trying to tighten it.

"Ah crap. Let's hurry then."

Conan effectively pinned him down by holding onto his shoulder, keeping him from getting up.

"No, if you continue pushing yourself too hard like this you could end up passing out on me and I definitely can't carry you. I would rather take short rests then have you completely incapacitated for a long period of time. Better take it slow. Let's rest for a few minutes. Then we can go."

Kaito relaxed back against the tree, looking up toward the canopy.

"Sorry, I thought I could get through it."

Conan focused on stopping the bleeding, prying back the bandage to look at the wound. The stitches that he had put in were partially ripped open, allowing the blood to flow freely. He was afraid since he was so close to the thief, he could look up and see his face. So he worried about his current task instead.

"How about your ribs?"

Kaito groaned as Conan applied pressure to his shoulder.

"Not much better, but manageable. Dang Tantei-kun that hurts."

Conan pursed his lips together.

"Necessary."

Kaito snorted.

"Doesn't make the pain any better."

Conan gave the thief a short glance and froze. Ah crap. Kaito blinked in confusion as Conan's eyes met his, only for him to immediately glance away.

"What's wrong Tantei-kun?"

Conan grumbled, inserting his annoyance by pressing harder into the thief, causing the teenager to grit his teeth.

"Saw your face, sorry."

Kaito sighed. This was getting tedious. Heck, he was getting annoyed at all of the detective's precautions, and they were to help him for crying out loud. Now that he thought about it, the looks Conan had given him were only above or below his face, not really on the face itself. Had he been avoiding looking at him this whole time?

"Tantei-kun, might I remind you that you have seen me in daylight before, with my real face. You haven't figured it out yet. Heck, only half of my face is real. You can look at me."

Conan bit his lip as finally the bleeding stopped again. Moving would now be even more slow now so they didn't tear open the already busted stitches.

"I haven't been less than a foot away though."

Kaito took his uninjured arm and patted Conan on the shoulder.

"Tantei-kun, look at me."

Conan paused in his retying of the bandages and slowly let his eyes meet the thief's. Everything seemed to fall into a standstill.

There he was, disguised slightly, but still distinguishable with his monocle, and a hat covering his unruly brown hair. Even he could have told that without the disguise. The light glinted off one monocle, but the other uncovered eye was blue, a slight shade darker than his own, almost but not quite as purple as Ran's, unnoticeable to anyone except a highly trained detective.

It was the first time he had gotten such a good look at his eyes, well outside the lady sky heist, but he hadn't been this close. The indigo pools swirled with intelligence, creativity, maturity beyond his years yet immaturity that walked alongside of mischief that seemed to dance in the light and shadows of the twin orbs. He was seeing past the masks, the disguises, the monocle, and seeing Kaitou KID, the real eyes of the elusive thief that seemed as catchable as the moonlight he paraded in. He was looking at a boy around his close age, who had donned the mantle of an international criminal. He felt like with just this, he had gotten a step closer, had put another piece into the puzzle that was the identity of Kaitou KID. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but right now he just couldn't look away, trying to memorize the color.

Kaito forced himself to relax as the detective inspected him. He saw the unease almost immediately disappear as it was replaced with awe and curiosity. It really wasn't his usual skin tone, and he had made his jawbones a little wider, and his nose a little more pointed, almost tiny modifications that just barely changed anything, but the results were staggering as it did look like not Kaito Kuroba. Did Tantei-kun pay attention to that? No, he had been staring at his eyes for the past ten seconds. Probably because he knew they were the one thing that wasn't disguised. But the attention, it was like he was slowly unlocking the mystery, piece by painstaking piece, just by staring at his eyes. It was so endearing of Tantei-kun, who looked so awestruck just by his eyes of all things. Kaito grinned, biting back a chuckle as he winked his uncovered eye.

"Like what you see?"

Conan jolted, realizing he had unintentionally staring into KID's eyes. He stepped back several steps, looking mortified.

"Ah crap, sorry. Got carried away again."

Kaito smirked his usual KID smirk.

"That doesn't answer my question."

Conan cleared his throat, stepping forward and checked Kaito's bandages again.

"Your eyes are a little darker than mine. Like the ocean."

Kaito's grinned widened.

"Then that must mean you are the sky right?"

Conan froze as he remembered KID's comment about detectives and thieves reflecting each other at the walking in air heist. An unbidden smile came to his lips.

"Yes, I would say so."

Kaito chuckled around the pain in his arm and his torso.

"Look at you, actually dreaming and seeing the symbolism in my brilliance. We will make you into a Phantom Thief yet."

Conan snorted as he finished his ministrations.

"Yeah right, don't get ahead of yourself."

Kaito looked down at his freshly bandaged arm.

"Oh yeah Tantei-kun, where did you learn first aid like this?"

Conan gave him a sidelong glance.

"Are you kidding? With the amount of injuries that I get myself and murders I come across, I like to keep informed of the medical field. Never know when you have to save a life, or save your own."

Made sense to Kaito. He had never seen the kid get more injured then anyone else. Just in his presence alone, he had broken his leg, gotten shot, almost drowned and burned to death, etc. Well, he wasn't complaining. It was useful knowledge.

He slowly pulled himself up the tree to stand. Conan gripped his leg tightly, waiting until his feet were underneath him. Once his balance had been settled, Kaito pushed forward, allowing Conan to lead him once more in between the trees.

"Hey KID?"

"Yeah?"'

"Why did you let me see your face?"

Kaito grinned as he gestured, and Conan could just imagine the white cape fluttering dramatically behind him.

"Just because you know the color of my eyes doesn't mean you can catch me Tantei-kun. That is the point of being a Phantom thief. I am not some low life robber that sneaks in under the cover of darkness in black clothing. I am daring, I am the flashy Kaitou KID! So many times people have seen my true face, and yet they can't put two and two together."

Conan dragged a hand down his face.

"Oh so the reason is because you are so confident in your own ability to keep me from finding out."

Kaito winked again, causing Conan to groan.

"Of course Tantei-kun."

Conan rolled his eyes. Seriously why was he stuck with this arrogant showoff?

"Whatever Kaitou KID-san, just tell me if you are feeling woozy again."

"Hai hai nurse-chan."

Conan took a deep breath. This was going to be a long mile and a half.

It was quite a bit later, now that Kaito was revitalized by teasing the detective, but once again he started to feel a little faint. This was so dumb. Kaitou Kid didn't faint, or have to be taken care of by pipsqueak detectives, yet here he was, doing both of those things. He tapped Conan on the shoulder.

"I am going to rest a minute."

Conan nodded as he flicked the last of his transmitters into Kaito's hand.

"Hold on to that. I am going to scout ahead a little."

Kaito nodded as he slid down the trunk of the tree, closing his eyes. He heard tiny footsteps walking forward until they disappeared.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but he was pretty sure he almost dozed off. He was tired, hungry again, and just wanted a good dosage of painkillers as his arm and chest felt like they were on fire, pain licking hungrily at his wounds. Was that too much to ask?

Wait, where was Tantei-kun? He wasn't back yet. How long had he been gone? Minutes? Hours? Or mere seconds? Did he just abandon him? No, he shoved the thought away angrily. Tantei-kun wasn't like that. He hadn't abandoned him yet, and he wouldn't do it now, even if he was dead on his feet. He was stupid for even considering such a thing. Was he in trouble again? That seemed a more acceptable scenario. God he hoped not. That other criminal band had taken everything out of him. He couldn't fight another one, and Tantei-kun couldn't either.

Suddenly childlike hands patted his shoulder.

"Come on KID."

Kaito felt a rush of relief. Tantei-kun was back, and he was uninjured, not captured, or anything. The boy deserved a medal or something as that was quite the achievement. Conan tapped him lightly again.

"Let's go KID."

Kaito shook his head. This tree was surprisingly comfortable. He could take a short nap, and then they could go again. That was so enticing right now.

"Tired Tantei-kun. Sleep first."

Conan couldn't help but agree with the thief. He was so close to passing out with exhaustion now, and he could feel the soft fingers of a fever brushing against his temples. The temptation was almost overwhelming, but Conan knew if they stayed it would be even more difficult later.

"KID we are almost there. I found a phone booth. We can contact people to pick us up."

Kaito straightened slightly in interest, cracking an eye.

"Really?"

Conan nodded, pulling at Kaito's hand, urging him to stand.

"Five minute walk at the pace we were just taking. Come on, get up. We can make it."

Kaito, spurred on by the motivation of contacting Jii and getting home, stood shakily on his feet. He couldn't wait to see his house again.

"All right Tantei-kun, lead the way."

Relieved that KID was going to listen to him, Conan stepped forward, toward the promised phone booth. He had stumbled upon the road and had just turned and there it was down the street a little ways. Apparently KID did have Lady Luck on his side.

An approximate five minutes later found both boys walking up to the phone booth. Both of them thought that it was the most beautiful thing both of them had ever seen. Conan turned to Kaito.

"Do you have any money?"

Kaito tapped a finger against his chin, pondering.

"No."

He reached forward into Conan's hair.

"You do though."

He pulled his hand back, revealing two five hundred yen coins. He grinned at the deadpan look on Conan's face.

"Really?"

Kaito shrugged.

"Hey magicians have to master basics before going onto the more advanced stuff."

He tossed one to Conan, but the detective gestured to the booth.

"You first. You live farther away probably."

Kaito nodded as he stepped into the booth. He pushed in the coin, and turned slightly. Conan was walking away toward an intersection, probably to check their location. Good, he didn't want him to see him putting in Jii's number. He punched it in, listening to the dial tone as it rang. Oh gosh he had better pick up or Kaito was going to—

"Hello?"

Kaito slumped in relief against the wall of the booth.

"Jii it's me."

He immediately had to pull the phone away from his ear as the old man started shouting, a mixture of scolding and relief that his dear Bot-chama was safe.

"Bot-chama, what happened? You didn't come back from the heist. Are you all right? You didn't get hurt did you? Thank goodness you are all right. I was worried."

Kaito sighed. Jii could be a caring grandparent when he wanted to be but it was a tad stifling.

"I am all right Jii-chan, just got shot a few times."

Predicting that another bout of fussing was about to come over the phone, Kaito interjected.

"I am fine, but you should probably get a first aid kit ready. I got a hole in my shoulder but it is stitched and bandaged, and I have broken ribs that are wrapped, but I am in pain."

He heard a rustling at the other end, probably Jii dropping everything to come find him.

"Where are you Bot-chama? I will be there straight away."

Kaito put down the phone sticking his head out of the phone booth.

"Hey Tantei-kun, where are we?"

Conan was walking back to the booth, hands in his pockets. He looked up at the call.

"Corner of Toyaka Ave and Kishitani Street in Beika."

Kaito repeated the location to Jii and heard the old man hum to himself. Conan poked his head in.

"Ask how long it will take?"

He shut the door again once he asked, leaning up against the glass. Kaito lowered his voice as he asked, wanting to make sure the detective didn't overhear.

"How long will it take you to get here?"

Jii took a moment of silence as if contemplating it.

"Thirty minutes, but I could probably turn it into twenty for you Bot-chama."

Kaito rolled his eyes. Yes, Jii in a hurry was a scary sight to see. He was surprised it would take him that long.

"All right Jii-chan. Has there been anything on the news about the heist?"

"Not a word Bot-chama. I was looking on all the channels for news on you."

Kaito relaxed slightly. That was good. That meant that Nakamori probably didn't think that he was the one shot or fell into the river.

"I see. I will be waiting."

He clicked the phone on the receiver, habitually wiping off any fingerprints he had placed on the numbers and phone and stepped out of the booth. Conan eyed him.

"That was unnecessary."

Kaito winked, although it lacked his usual energy.

"Can't be too careful with a Meitantei around."

Conan sighed as he stepped into the phone booth as Kaito sat against it right by the door. He slipped in the coin and easily punched in the number that he memorized long ago. It rang once before Ran's voice filtered through the phone, sounding tearful.

"Hello? Shinichi?"

Conan smiled fondly as he put forward his Conan persona.

"Sorry Ran-neechan. It's Conan."

Ran exclaimed loudly.

"Conan-kun! Oh thank goodness you are safe. Tou-san, he is safe."

Conan heard the grumblings of Kogoro over the phone, but they were mostly good natured and relieved. He could feel Kaito's amusement from here, but he refused to feel embarrassed. It was so nice to hear Ran's voice again. He twirled the cord in his fingers.

"I am ok Ran-neechan."

"What happened Conan?"

Conan narrowed his eyes, gesturing to Kaito to come closer. The phantom thief knelt next to him and Conan held the phone to where they could both hear.

"What did Nakamori Keibu tell you?"

Ran answered quickly.

"He said you just suddenly disappeared from the heist and that there were some complications. We were really worried. We thought Kaitou KID kidnapped you."

Conan snorted with laughter and he could feel KID beside him shaking in amusement.

"No no Ran-neechan, it didn't happen like that."

Conan paused. What was a believable lie? Suddenly he felt fingers on his own, tilting the phone toward the thief. KID spoke, using Conan's voice.

"I accidentally fell off the building into the river."

Ran gasped dramatically, and Conan could imagine her gripping the phone tightly in worry.

"Oh my gosh Conan-kun."

Kaito smirked at Conan, who was giving him a disgruntled look, before continuing.

"A nice officer saw me fall and rescued me. It just took us a long time to walk back. He took really good care of me."

Ran sighed into the phone.

"Oh thank goodness."

Kaito handed the phone back to Conan and saluted playfully before resuming his post by the door of the booth on the outside. Conan stuck his tongue out at him while speaking into the receiver.

"Yeah I am fine Ran-neechan."

He listened and there seemed to be a bustle of activity in the background, phones ringing, papers shuffling, and the sound of many people talking. The father daughter duo obviously weren't at the agency.

"Are you at the police station Ran-neechan?"

Ran gasped.

"Yeah, we are. We were just about to put in a missing person report for you."

Conan smirked. Perfect.

"Is Sato and Takagi Keiji there?"

Ran paused, probably looking around for the officers.

"Yeah, they are here. Do you need them?"

A second later Sato spoke through the phone.

"Where are you Conan-kun? I will be there as fast as my car can go."

Conan smirked. He wouldn't doubt it. The police station was maybe ten minutes away from this spot, but with Sato it would be much faster.

"Just bring an extra police car. You know those robbers a few days ago that escaped police custody?"

Sato's voice held unbridled excitement.

"Do you have them with you?"

Conan shrugged.

"No but they are tied up and I know where they are. You might as well take them into custody now."

He heard a slight squeal followed by Takagi's surprised exclamation. Sato spoke quickly.

"As expected of Conan-kun. Where are you and we will come pick you all up? Does the officer need a ride?"

Conan glanced at KID, smirking. Heh, KID riding in a police car. That was a fun image.

"No the officer already left. He said he needed to check back in with Nakamori Keibu."

Sato tsked.

"What a lousy police officer, leaving a child out at this time of day."

Conan rolled his eyes.

"I told him to. I am at the corner of Toyaka Ave and Kishitani Street."

He heard the confirmation of the location and Ran was back on the other end.

"Conan-kun, me and Tou-san will go with Sato and come get you. Don't move from that spot."

"Hai Ran-neechan. See you in a few minutes."

He hung up, stepping out of the booth. Kaito opened his mouth but Conan beat him to it.

"That was unnecessary stepping in like that."

Kaito shrugged.

"I didn't want you to say 'oh yeah KID is here' or something equally to that effect."

Conan snorted.

"You are off limits remember? Not that you can't escape like this anyway."

Growing serious, Conan turned toward the thief.

"Will it take longer or shorter than ten minutes for your assistant to come pick you up?"

Kaito immediately replied.

"Longer."

Conan groaned.

"Of course."

So this presented a new problem. Conan sat down next to the thief.

"Hmm, well my cellphone is shot anyway, so that's out. Do you know the number to the Mouri detective agency?"

Kaito gave him a suspicious look.

"Yes, why?"

Conan turned to look at him fully.

"Can you call me once you make it home?"

There was a moment of silence before Kaito gave him a deadpan look.

"Are you my mother or something?"

Conan protested.

"How the heck am I supposed to know you made it back? I spent way too much effort keeping you alive only for me to find out that you get mugged or pass out on the street because of busted open stitches. No, you are calling me."

Kaito looked at Conan like he had grown an extra head.

"Yeah let me just give you my home address too, so you can come give me flowers as I recuperate. Yeah right Tantei-kun. I thought you didn't want my identity."

Conan rolled his eyes.

"I thought we went over this. If I had wanted your identity I would have gotten the DNA and stuff while you were passed out."

Kaito was strictly against this. Phone numbers could be traced, and with Conan's manipulative ways he could definitely trace a call. All of this might have been a ploy to get him to drop his guard. Conan folded his arms firmly.

"I will not sleep until you call."

Kaito sighed. He did want the kid to sleep. He was worrying him enough as it is. If it were up to him he would drop a knockout bomb when he left so the boy would pass out. it wouldn't take much at this point.

"Fine, I will see what I can do."

Conan nodded, satisfied.

"Good."

They sat there in comfortable silence for a minute, only for Kaito to break it with a soft observation.

"It has been a…strange past twenty-four hours that's for sure."

Conan nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, didn't expect any of that to happen. Better not scare me like that again."

Kaito tipped his hat forward, brim hiding his eyes.

"I will do my best Tantei-kun."

He glanced sideways at his younger companion.

"So you don't know who I am? Or will?"

Conan sighed.

"No KID, I basically know nothing about you. I know that you are a magician, have blue eyes, have a sweet tooth, are afraid of fish, have a crush on a crazy girl, and like to prank and tease people. That describes thousands of people. No way can I narrow it down."

Conan smiled as he stared up at the sky that was slowly becoming orange in the twilight. Yes, he had gotten closer, had learned just enough about the boy behind the monocle, but still managed to keep most of his secrets. It was…fun, hanging out with the phantom thief and learning about him, but not putting in the final piece of the puzzle. KID was such a fascinating person anyway, but seeing different sides of him was exciting and stimulating.

"Your identity is safe."

There was a squeal of tires in the distance along with a police siren. Conan stood, glancing toward the intersection. It had only been a little over seven minutes since he hung up, but Sato Keiji is not the safest driver, or slow in any accounts.

"I am guessing that is my ride."

Kaito stood up next to him.

"I hope it isn't mine."

Conan smirked.

"Next time maybe."

There, a red car drifted around the corner. Conan waved to signal his position, before turning to say something else to the Phantom Thief, only to discover that he had vanished, just like the phantom that he was.


	12. Chapter 12

**All right, this is the last chapter. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Sorry about Fanfiction sending out the emails. I hope everyone enjoyed, and I am sure I will post something else soon!**

The red police car slid into the curb. Ran hopped out, scooping Conan into a bone crushing embrace.

"Conan-kun, you are ok."

Conan sank into the embrace with a happy sigh. Finally, this adventure was over, well not quite. There were still loose ends to tie up after all. Takagi Keiji stepped out of the police car that pulled up right behind Sato, with Yumi jumping out of the driver seat.

"Conan-kun, where are the robbers?"

Conan thumbed back over his shoulder.

"They are in a cabin about two miles into the woods. I can take you there if you like."

He switched on his glasses, checking. Yes, the three dots on the radar hadn't moved, so they were still asleep, or at least still tied up. Ran gripped him tightly in her arms.

"Conan-kun you need to go home. The police can find them on their own."

Conan wanted nothing more than to do just that, but he didn't want to take the chance of any of the officers ending up lost or unable to find the perps. Time for some award winning acting. Plastering a childish smile on his face, he exclaimed with a lot more energy than he had.

"It's ok Ran-neechan. I can do it."

He slowly led all of them into the woods. He didn't want to take Ran and Kogoro, but something was telling him KID was still around here somewhere, and he didn't need them seeing the thief getting picked up by his ride, however long he decided to take. Now then, which was the quickest way?

* * *

Kaito watched the group go into the woods from his vantage point on the roof of a nearby building. It was satisfactory to see Conan's surprised face to notice his disappearance, but he needed to get out of there; any suspicious character and he was sure Ran or that Sato keiji would have broken more bones then necessary. Plus, he and police officers didn't mix well. He dropped to the ground gently, sticking in the shadows, blending in with his dark clothing. Now he just needed to wait.

It was a little more than fifteen minutes later when a black car swung around the corner, and immediately screeched to a halt as it spied the police cars. Kaito sighed, stepping into the light and slowly walking to the car. Jii looked out of the window at him, horrified.

"Bot-chama, what is the police doing here?"

Kaito plopped into the backseat, removing his hat and monocle with a sigh.

"Relax Jii-chan it isn't for me. It's my companion's ride."

Jii shifted the gear shift down, placing the car back in drive.

"And who was that Bot-chama?"

Kaito gave a smirk.

"Edogawa Conan."

Jii almost wrecked the car as he spluttered.

"Bot-chama you can come live with me for awhile. I will turn myself in if I have to."

"Jii-chan relax he didn't turn me in or find out my identity or anything. In fact, if it wasn't for him I would have died."

Kaito smiled leaning his head back against the seat tiredly.

"Let's just go home."

Jii turned back toward the road.

"All right, but you have to tell me the whole story. I feel like I am missing some things."

Kaito cracked open an eye.

"Actually we need to stop at a gas station first. Just to pick up something."

* * *

Conan sunk into the steaming bath with a sigh. It had taken a little longer than expected to find the cabin, but the arrest was a success. The robbers were all awake when they walked in, and the leader had tried to grab at Conan, shouting all sorts of threats, but with Ran there, he didn't get very far. The officers were quite surprised and confused as to see them in their, um, colorful state, but Conan just explained that the officer he was with was a bit of a prankster, which they kind of bought. After they brought the three robbers back to the car, Sato and Takagi took them back to the precinct, while Yumi used her police car to escort the Mouris and Conan back to the detective agency.

Ran had immediately fixed some curry for Conan and it was the best thing he had ever tasted. While she was fixing it, he messaged Haibara as well as Jodie, asking if there was anything going on. Both had said that it was all quiet and peaceful and that there was no news on the organization. A quick conversation with Bourbon, who was working the evening shift that day, also lowered his suspicion. Apparently his nightmare was just that, a dream, with no further implications. Feeling a lot better, Conan finished his curry with ease.

Now he was taking a hot bath, just like he wanted more than anything. Dirt, river water, blood, and a whole slew of other materials covered him, and his tired and aching muscles wished desperately to be soaked. Not to mention, the beginnings of a fever he felt earlier was getting worse. It was almost guaranteed he would wake up tomorrow with a cold. A warm bath would chase some of it away.

He blew bubbles in the water as he slipped down, immersing himself in the warmth. The water was waking him up, but at the same time, the warmth was leeching all the tension from his body, leaving him wanting to sleep. But he couldn't, not yet. He needed to make sure KID called. It had been over an hour. Did he make it home? He had no idea where he went after he disappeared. The unease he had felt this afternoon had appeared again, gnawing at his guts at the lack of communication.

Conan sighed as he sat up in the water. The heat was starting to make him feel woozy but he stepped out, drying himself off and putting on his pajamas. He stepped out of the bathroom, his towel wrapped around his neck as he started toward the kitchen. Might as well have a glass of milk while waiting. That was if the thief even called. He wouldn't be surprised if he just ignored his request, even though he was worried. Stupid thief.

Suddenly, he heard Ran speaking downstairs, from the office.

"I am sorry, Conan-kun is in the bath. Would you like to call again tomorrow."

Could it be? Conan rushed down the stairs two at a time, bursting through the door.

"Ran-neechan, is there someone on the phone for me?"

Ran was standing by the desk, holding the office phone next to her ear. She glanced toward him with a smile.

"Oh, here he is. Conan-kun it is the officer that was with you."

Breathing a soft sigh of relief, Conan took the phone from her hands. Ran pointed at him.

"Five minutes Conan and then you are going straight to bed."

"Hai Ran-neechan."

He waited until Ran closed the door to the office before speaking into the receiver.

"So, you made it home KID-san?"

Kaito on the other end smirked at hearing the relief clearly in the younger boy's voice. He was currently sitting on his couch after a warm shower that had rejuvenated him. As soon as he had gotten home Jii had performed first aid, fixing up the bullet wound and wrapping up his ribs better. He was now laying in his pajamas, watching Jii who was fixing hot chocolate and supper for him. He had been surprised when Ran had picked up the phone. He had figured that Conan would be by the phone by now, waiting for his call. Nevertheless he had handled it smoothly, changing into a nondescript male voice, asking for Conan, saying he was the officer and was just checking to make sure the young man had made it home. Then he had heard the exchange between pseudo siblings, pseudo lovers. Now back in the present Kaito sung out playfully.

"Hai Mother hen-kun."

Conan grimaced.

"No. I barely tolerate Tantei-kun, no way are you calling me that."

He heard the gleeful snickering on the other end.

"Yet it fits you so perfectly Tantei-kun. Who else would blatantly ask an international criminal to call them just to say they made it home? Oh, and don't try to track this phone number. It is a burn phone I got from a convenient store. I know you can see the number on that display."

Conan sat in Mouri's chair behind his desk, propping his legs up.

"Oh really? So in other words if I look up the number, find the convenient store I can ask who they sold it to, or check the security cameras to find you that way? Please tell me you used cash instead of a card. Better KID, but I can still find you."

Conan paused, hearing the slight intake of breath. Kaito on the other end had tensed. Oh crap, he had totally underestimated Tantei-kun; he had sworn he would stop doing that. Conan grinned.

"Well, lucky for you that is way too much work, I don't want your identity, and I can't see the number because I put tape over the display."

It had been the very first thing he did when he got home. He wanted to be prepared when KID had called. Kaito sunk further into the couch, sighing.

"Way to give me heart palpitations Tantei-kun."

Conan spun in the chair a little.

"So you did make it home. Did you get your hot chocolate?"

Kaito glanced into the kitchen at Jii.

"In the process of getting it yeah. I already had a shower, and my assistant has fixed my wounds up for the most part. They complimented your first aid skills."

"Are they at least the hot nurse that you dreamed of?"

Kaito's eyes widened before he cackled loudly. Just imagining Jii-chan in a nurse outfit…oh my.

"Tantei-kun did you just make a joke?"

Conan raised an eyebrow. So his assistant wasn't hot?

"I thought all magicians had hot ladies for their assistants. Was I wrong?"

Kaito waved a hand, still chuckling.

"Sure, let's go with that option."

Conan shrugged, before getting serious.

"I have information for you."

Kaito raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of information?"

Conan had pestered Ran the entire carried back, asking what Nakamori had said what the complications were. She had told him an interesting tidbit of information.

"Apparently the officer that you impersonated is getting an award, medal of honor or something for willing to sacrifice in the line of duty. The story goes he got shot, and stumbled downstairs and passed out in the closet. He is seen as a hero by the rest of the task force, and that he has super healing powers. So they don't think it was you that got shot."

Kaito smirked. He doubted Nakamori Keibu was _that_ stupid, however if he was, it just meant Lady Luck was on his side yet again. He probably did it to cover up the fact KID was shot. He had already checked in with the Nakamoris, being there when they had returned after their day excursion. He had asked Nakamori Keibu himself, using roundabout ways to get information from the inspector.

"I have information for you too."

Conan froze. How had the thief gleaned information?

"What?"

Kaito sighed regretfully.

"Apparently there was more than one sniper. By the time the police got there, there was no trace of them. Everything was wiped down, no blood, only gunpowder readings."

Conan gritted his teeth.

"So they got away."

Kaito nodded, even knowing that the detective couldn't see him.

"Seems that way."

Conan sighed inwardly. It would be harder to catch them off guard now. They knew that the police were aware of their presence, so they would back off, at least for the time being. They had lost their one lead. Dang it. He narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know that information?"

"Inside source?"

Conan's eyes widened. KID had an insider in the police department? How?

"Relax Tantei-kun. They don't know they are my informer."

Oh that made him feel a little better, he supposed. He leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling.

"Well, don't worry about it KID-san. We will get them."

Kaito smiled faintly. Yes, with Tantei-kun on the case, the probability of that happening was very high. Suddenly he heard a cough on the other end.

"Tantei-kun, you ok?"

Conan sighed as he closed his eyes, relishing in the darkness.

"Pretty sure I caught a little cold. It's fine. I will just sleep most of tomorrow."

Kaito gulped.

"So I should wear armor my next heist is what you're saying."

Conan chuckled, remembering his previous threat.

"I suppose so."

They were quiet for a few seconds, before Kaito decided it was time to change the subject.

"What about you Tantei-kun? Did you do everything you wanted to do?"

Conan leaned forward in the chair.

"Yep. I checked up on some things, and the robbers are in custody. This adventure is wrapped up."

Kaito paused, before answering.

"Hey Tantei-kun, no Kudo."

Conan paused, frowing. KID never used his fake name, let alone his real name. Kaito took a deep breath, before saying sincerely.

"I don't think I ever thanked you. If you hadn't have been there, I would have died multiple times, and you didn't try to find out my identity. It was fun just hanging out without the barrier of the law between us like usual. I just wanted to thank you for everything, even if you are a trouble magnet."

Conan was surprised to hear the genuine gratitude in the thief's voice and a soft smile graced his lips as he replied fondly.

"Baro, just you wait at the next heist. I will unveil you for real, in front of everyone."

Kaito smirked fondly at the silent _you're welcome_. Yes, the adventure was over, but its effects would last a while yet. Both boys had learned so much about the other, only strengthening the bond they had previously had, yet at the end of the day, nothing had really changed. He was still a phantom thief, and Conan was still a detective, and they would continue through the rest of their days playing the same cat and mouse game as usual. However, their dynamic was less enemy, more friend and rival between the two and both boys seemed to think that this change was for the better.

Conan yawned.

"All right KID, I am going to bed. I better not hear you are doing a heist before your injuries are healed. Goodnight."

Kaito sat up quickly, frantic.

"Wait Tantei-kun!"

Conan paused on putting the phone back on the receiver.

"What?"

Kaito let out a breath as he continued casually.

"I have a magic trick, just especially for you."

Conan rolled his eyes.

"What? Why now? I just want to sleep."

Kaito answered carefully.

"Well it is more like a magic spell. It will only work this one time. It is a magic spell that will make you fall asleep in less than a minute."

He wanted the boy to sleep, and peacefully too, not plagued by nightmares or anything of that nature. He had a plan, and hopefully it worked with the very little preparation he had done. Conan instantly was alert, turning to look out the window into the darkness.

"You are at home right?"

"Of course Tantei-kun."

Conan questioned suspiciously.

"So you aren't going to snipe me with a tranquilizer dart or your assistant isn't going to come out with a stun gun is he?"

Kaito sighed. Seriously, how had that been Tantei-kun's first assumption? The kid needed to relax. He soothed.

"I am currently many kilometers from your location. That is why it is magic."

Conan, seeing no threat inside the office or outside the window, lowered his suspicions. On one hand he really wanted to go to bed, but he was curious about this 'magic' the magician was capable of. Just this once, he would humor him.

"Fine, but I bet I won't fall for it. Magic doesn't usually work on me."

Kaito clapped his hands in excitement, gleeful grin. As usual, Tantei-kun threw down the gauntlet, so Kaito of course had to take it up.

"Fantastic, and I seem to remember that my magic usually works perfectly on you. Now there is some preparation for the trick. First you need to lay down on the couch."

Conan sighed, lying down on the couch closest to the door. He pinned the phone between the back of the couch and his ear so he could still hear.

"All right, now what?"

Kaito scolded good-naturedly.

"Now Tantei-kun, for this trick to work, you can't talk. You can't talk and sleep at the same time you know."

Conan glanced at the phone.

"Fine fine."

"Now close your eyes and take a deep breath, in and out."

Conan followed the directions exactly, feeling like he was in a yoga ad or something, but he didn't complain. He wanted to know the trick after all. There was a few seconds of silence before Kaito asked quietly.

"Are you ready Tantei-kun?"

Conan hummed in response. He was already drifting off as it was. KID could probably not say anything and he would be asleep in less than a minute. He was confused as to why KID was doing this though. There was no reason because KID knew how tired he was; he knew he would sleep without any aid. So what was his goal?

Kaito took a deep breath. All right, here goes nothing. He switched his voice to one Mouri Ran.

"Shinichi."

Conan's eyes popped open as he heard Ran's voice come over the phone. That jerk…he was using Ran's voice again. Man, the inflection was exactly how Ran said his name, and he wouldn't have noticed the difference if he didn't know he was talking to the phantom thief. He opened his mouth, ready to chew the thief out for using Ran's voice, when Kaito's next words came flowing out of the phone.

"Shinichi, I am safe."

Conan gasped lightly. Oh that was KID's goal. It wasn't sleep, but quality of the sleep. But how did he know, what his nightmare was about? He didn't tell him did he? It was working too. His body didn't seem to care that 'Ran' was an imposter and tension he didn't even know he still had fled from his body leaving him boneless mush on pure instinct at hearing the simple sentence. He almost let the phone drop if he didn't have the mind to press it deeper into the cushion, listening.

"You don't have to worry anymore. I am safe. I am not hurt or anything."

Kaito made sure to choose his words carefully. He didn't want the words he said to be used in nightmares later on down the road, so he refrained from using words of promises or telling Shinichi that he protected her in case that backfired. Instead he focused on just the phrases that he knew would force the detective to relax.

Conan felt sleep tug at his mind his breathing started to slow as his mind slowly followed his body. He knew it wasn't the real Ran, but the effect was still very potent. The nightmares that he might have had retreated back into the deepest parts of his mind, not to be thought about again.

It was just too real, and it was the words he had always longed to hear, but Ran, poor ignorant Ran who didn't know the situation or how Shinichi craved hearing about her safety, would never tell him those words, at least not to Shinichi, not like this. So he would indulge in this fantasy only a little while longer. This is what he needed, to be reminded after the dream early this morning, that Ran was safe, not shot, that she was alive and well, and it was a little pathetic he was affected this much by just her voice, but he was past caring at this point. Sleep was the top priority in his mind right now. He managed to breathe out.

"Not…fair."

No, it wasn't fair that KID was using Ran's voice, manipulating his relationship with Ran to soothe him to sleep with something that worked far better than a lullaby. It did show that KID did seem to care about him enough to let, albeit force, him into having a good night sleep. Apparently he was more concerned about him then he originally thought.

Kaito smiled fondly at the barely audible confirmation that his magic spell was working. He soothed, his feminine tone sounding like a creamy velvet that would sound like an angel on Conan's ears. He didn't focus on flirtatious, only pouring in love and care that he knew the real Mouri Ran would use.

"Oyasumi Shinichi, have sweet dreams. I will be here when you wake up."

Conan sighed in bliss. He didn't even care at this point that KID was succeeding in his trick. He was dozing now, mind at a tranquil standstill. No nightmares, no problems, no cases, no mysteries, just a quieting emptiness that almost never happened in the always working mind. He was so close to complete sleep when he faintly heard KID switch back to his normal voice, the tenor smooth as butter.

"The grand finale in three…two…one."

Conan felt warm thin arms loop under his knees and his neck, and Ran say gently.

"Mou, Conan-kun, if you were sleepy, you should have gone to bed."

Ran? His barely functional mind asked questions as to how had she snuck up on him, how he didn't notice her enter the room, but he found out he didn't care. Now he was cradled in her arms oh so carefully, blinking half opened eyes up at a smiling Ran.

That seemed to be the tipping point for Conan. Everything before now was an act, a farce that he could easily brush away in his nightmares. But this, this was evidence, proof that Ran wasn't shot by Vermouth, that she was warm, breathing, soft, _alive._ That was all Kudo Shinichi needed to know. He took comfort in the thought as he slumped in Ran's grip, breathing lightly as he fell into deep slumber.

Kaito waited with baited breath. He didn't hear anything from the other end from Conan. Did that mean he succeeded? Suddenly Ran's voice came over the speaker.

"I am so sorry officer-san; you will have to call back tomorrow. Conan is fast asleep."

Kaito grinned as he finally relaxed. He was worried the trick wouldn't work on the detective. It was a one-time thing; never again could that trick be performed. He switched back to the nondescript voice from before.

"Oh no ojou-chan, I was just making sure the young man made it home safely. Please make sure he sleeps well. Good night ojou-chan."

"Good night."

He heard the girl hang up and smirked. He watched through his dove camera that he had used to pull off the timing of the trick as Ran carried Conan out of the office, probably back up the stairs to the boy's bedroom. He fervently hoped his trick worked throughout the night, blessing the mini detective with a full night's sleep without any dreams of the nefarious nature. He clicked the recall button, signaling the bird to come back to his house. He watched the camera spin wildly as the dove took flight, on its way back. Jii stepped into the living room, handing him a cup of hot chocolate.

"Is it all over Bot-chama?"

Kaito took a sip and shivered at the beautiful nector from the gods as it filled him with sweet warmth.

"Almost Jii, almost."

He smiled as he got another idea. Yes, it was almost over. Nevertheless, this was quite the adventure he would never forget. Tantei-kun may claim they were rivals or whatever, but he would always see him as a friend, and he was sure that Conan felt the same about him. After all, a friend in need is a friend indeed.

The next morning, Conan was pleasantly surprised and baffled to find a dove on his balcony, with a bag of cough drops tied to his leg, along with a pure white note, with a KID caricature grinning up at him.


End file.
